Hi Crisp!
I actually just joined today, too. I love your story and what you’re doing for those dogs — they’re beautiful!
I ended up deciding to join because I’m going to Tokyo in July for a conference and wanted to learn some speaking points since I’ll be by myself. Eventually I found TextFugu and fell in love with its setup and I have actually come to enjoy learning Japanese more than I thought I would! I’m hoping that this honeymoon period will last even after I get back from my trip. :-)