My mom snapped this picture of Phin and I about 10 minutes after we met. It was our first picture together and love at first sight.
I’ve often written on this blog about my favorite happy, fuzzy pal, Phin. He is an amazing dog whom I rescued over two years ago from the Humane Society. While mostly perfect out of the box, he has struggled with separation anxiety off and on.
His latest bout has lasted for 3 months and I have tried many remedies from extra sessions with our trainer to medication. And just when it seems he has turned a corner, he is plunged back down into the depths of anxiety. His anxiety has begun to make him sick. He never touches a thing in the apartment; he just cries when I leave for any amount of time – an awful, sad, lonely cry. My neighbors are complaining every day. Despite all of the time I spend with him, he needs a home that has more companionship than what I can offer him as a single, working person.
My beautiful, kind, gracious, dog-loving mother has offered to take Phin into her home in Florida until I figure out a better living situation that will work for him. We now live in a tiny studio in a noisy city. My mom and stepfather are retired and are around most of the time. They have a beautiful home with a screened-in porch and a backyard with grass and a garden. They have plenty of sunshine and warmth, inside and outside their home.
Though I know that this is the best short-term situation for Phineas, I am completely heart-broken. He is my constant companion and a champion snuggler. No matter how tough a day I have, he is always there for me with a waggly tail and plenty of smooches. He thinks I am the best person on Earth.
I’m not sure what these next few months hold. I’ll bring Phin down to Florida on Tuesday when I visit my family for the holidays and if all goes well, he’ll be taking up residence there while I sort out a more conducive (read: quiet) environment for him. It is an awful decision to make. My eyes are puffy, my nose is runny, and I feel like a failure.
Life is like that sometimes. We have to make decisions that hurt. Despite our best efforts, things don’t always go the way that we hope they will. I just keep reminding myself to trust the process, to understand that everything is temporary, that fortune can be reversed, that light can and will return even though we are surrounded by darkness. I know this is the best decision to make in the current circumstances, but it’s not easy and it certainly doesn’t feel good.
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
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13 thoughts on “Leap: Do What’s Needed”
I’m so sorry you have to leave your beautiful little guy for a while. Though I am so happy he is going with your wonderful mother, and you will be reunited with him soon. This was heartbreaking to read at the beginning, but I think this is the best solution and you won’t be loosing him 🙂 Maybe while he is away when you have spare moments you can look up videos on the dog whisperer, he has done a few episodes on helping owners fix their dog’s separation anxiety, I have seen them but forget what he taught. I wish both of you love and happiness and to be reunited soon!
Thanks so much, Kirby. I am grateful to my mom that she can take Phin for a while as I sort out a quieter living situation for him so I can take him back into my home. I am heartbroken to not be with him for a little while but am very hopeful that we will have another chapter together and that in the mean time he will be with my wonderful family.
yes for sure! You are doing the best for both him and you, and I’m sure everything will come together for you soon. In the meantime I’m sure he will be plenty happy being with your family:)
Thanks, Kirby. I really appreciate that. It has been very hard for me but you’re absolutely right – he is so happy and calm in this new arrangement while I search for a better place for us to be together in New York. I am so grateful to my family for helping during this difficult time. If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them!
Oh Christa. I’m sorry, that’s hard. Know you are being the best possible doggie mom you can, and putting Phin’s well-being first, in a responsible and loving way. That is the best you can do. Hugs to you both (and bless your mom for helping).
Thanks, M. It is such a hard decision to make. I am so grateful to my mom and am hopeful that in the coming months I’ll be able to create a living situation where I can bring him back to be with me. In the mean time, he will be surrounded with love, warmth, and sunshine, and I’ll be able to see him a lot, too.
Christa, I’m so sorry you’re going through this with you little man. I admire your strength and your ability to put Phin’s best interests above your own. I have faith he’ll be fine and you will too.
Thanks, Lisa. I am so sorry to have to make this short-term choice, even though it is temporary, but I would much rather feel that pain than have Phin continue to feel so much anxiety. My mom will be able to give him so much love in the meantime and he adores her.
Oh Christa, my eyes are tearing up for you. We had to make a hard decision like about 12 months ago. We had two cats, Lucy and Tiddles, both Burmese, we had had them for about 9 years and they started fighting, couldn’t be in the same room. It was horrible. Lucy was spending nearly all day on top of the dryer in the laundry. We spoke to the vet, had them both checked out, nothing seemed to be wrong. In the end we decided to give Lucy away, she was not as friendly as the other one, and had always been too independent. She is now very happy in her new home, and loves her new owner. But we still feel bad and horrible that we had to do it. Good luck, I’m sure you will find someone perfect for him.
Oh Leanne – I am so sorry. What a sad decision to have to make. I am so glad Lucy is happy in her new home. Phin is going to stay with my mom and I will be able to see him a lot. I’m hopeful that I can soon sort out a quieter living situation that will be better for him so that eventually he can come live with me again.
I’m reading through your past posts about your dog’s separation anxiety because I’m feeling how you expressed in this post. It looks like you ended up keeping Phin though. Did you find something that eventually worked for his anxiety?
Oh yes. Phin is very much a part of my life. He has bouts of anxiety but he doesn’t bark when I leave provided that I take him for a walk, give him treats he only gets when I leave, and his kong. Also, my vet put him on trazodone for a few weeks while I worked with him on different exercises. I highly recommend the book Please Don’t Leave Me as well. It was a lifesaver. I kept trying different things until I found a routine that worked.
I’m so sorry you have to leave your beautiful little guy for a while. Though I am so happy he is going with your wonderful mother, and you will be reunited with him soon. This was heartbreaking to read at the beginning, but I think this is the best solution and you won’t be loosing him 🙂 Maybe while he is away when you have spare moments you can look up videos on the dog whisperer, he has done a few episodes on helping owners fix their dog’s separation anxiety, I have seen them but forget what he taught. I wish both of you love and happiness and to be reunited soon!
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Thanks so much, Kirby. I am grateful to my mom that she can take Phin for a while as I sort out a quieter living situation for him so I can take him back into my home. I am heartbroken to not be with him for a little while but am very hopeful that we will have another chapter together and that in the mean time he will be with my wonderful family.
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yes for sure! You are doing the best for both him and you, and I’m sure everything will come together for you soon. In the meantime I’m sure he will be plenty happy being with your family:)
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Thanks, Kirby. I really appreciate that. It has been very hard for me but you’re absolutely right – he is so happy and calm in this new arrangement while I search for a better place for us to be together in New York. I am so grateful to my family for helping during this difficult time. If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them!
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Oh Christa. I’m sorry, that’s hard. Know you are being the best possible doggie mom you can, and putting Phin’s well-being first, in a responsible and loving way. That is the best you can do. Hugs to you both (and bless your mom for helping).
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Thanks, M. It is such a hard decision to make. I am so grateful to my mom and am hopeful that in the coming months I’ll be able to create a living situation where I can bring him back to be with me. In the mean time, he will be surrounded with love, warmth, and sunshine, and I’ll be able to see him a lot, too.
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Christa, I’m so sorry you’re going through this with you little man. I admire your strength and your ability to put Phin’s best interests above your own. I have faith he’ll be fine and you will too.
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Thanks, Lisa. I am so sorry to have to make this short-term choice, even though it is temporary, but I would much rather feel that pain than have Phin continue to feel so much anxiety. My mom will be able to give him so much love in the meantime and he adores her.
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Oh Christa, my eyes are tearing up for you. We had to make a hard decision like about 12 months ago. We had two cats, Lucy and Tiddles, both Burmese, we had had them for about 9 years and they started fighting, couldn’t be in the same room. It was horrible. Lucy was spending nearly all day on top of the dryer in the laundry. We spoke to the vet, had them both checked out, nothing seemed to be wrong. In the end we decided to give Lucy away, she was not as friendly as the other one, and had always been too independent. She is now very happy in her new home, and loves her new owner. But we still feel bad and horrible that we had to do it. Good luck, I’m sure you will find someone perfect for him.
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Oh Leanne – I am so sorry. What a sad decision to have to make. I am so glad Lucy is happy in her new home. Phin is going to stay with my mom and I will be able to see him a lot. I’m hopeful that I can soon sort out a quieter living situation that will be better for him so that eventually he can come live with me again.
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Liked your posting a lot. I’ll be browsing your website regularly. I found it on google
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I’m reading through your past posts about your dog’s separation anxiety because I’m feeling how you expressed in this post. It looks like you ended up keeping Phin though. Did you find something that eventually worked for his anxiety?
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Oh yes. Phin is very much a part of my life. He has bouts of anxiety but he doesn’t bark when I leave provided that I take him for a walk, give him treats he only gets when I leave, and his kong. Also, my vet put him on trazodone for a few weeks while I worked with him on different exercises. I highly recommend the book Please Don’t Leave Me as well. It was a lifesaver. I kept trying different things until I found a routine that worked.
LikeLike