Deneen Ansley has been working with New Guinea Singing Dogs for over fifteen years. A long-time

animal rescuer, she fell in love with Singers while carting rescues from place to place and serving as a

foster mom for dogs in need of a safe place to land. In her work, she’s met about fifty New Guinea

Singing Dogs, many of them residing with her, or relying on her for transport, as well as having her

provide end-of-life-care.

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“Singers are my heart-dog,” she says. “I love when they will allow me to hold and cuddle them. To me,

Singers still have that ‘puppy’ smell. They also challenge me. They are my peers, and it’s a peer

relationship that needs to be developed over time and respected by both parties. They’re a special

breed and they need special people.”

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Deneen runs her own nonprofit, Keepers of the Bond, and uses her degrees in psychology and teaching

to help navigate that space where human and non-human beings intersect in positive and fruitful ways.

Her dream is to expand her sanctuary space at Edensong Haven, located in Eden, North Carolina, to be a

fully-built kennel, exclusively for New Guinea Singing Dogs.

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“I want no Singer left behind. Our community needs a place where our dogs are understood and kept

safe. My goal is to help make that happen."