It all started at the beginning of 2022, when Nick sent Erica a message on Hinge. It took Erica two whole weeks to reply (she wasn’t exactly a frequent app user), but something about Nick’s message caught her attention: “I’ve been told I have the personality of a golden retriever.” As someone who had always loved golden retrievers—despite growing up with small dogs—Erica was intrigued. Especially because there was no mention of dogs on her profile, let alone golden retrievers. Was it fate? A lucky guess? Either way, she had to respond. And from that moment on, things just clicked. Fast forward to December 2022, and we brought home our own golden retriever bestie, Tegan. Since then, life has been full of joy, laughter, and adventure—including not one, but two unforgettable trips to Italy, where they explored nine different cities together. Italy quickly became a special place for them and they knew there would be no better backdrop to start their forever.