About Us
It Started With the Dogs on My Street
I grew up in Greece, where stray dogs and cats are part of everyday life.
For me, they were impossible to ignore.
It started with feeding the animals in my neighborhood. Then came rescuing. Fostering. Adopting.
One became several.
At one point, I shared my life with 11 dogs and one cat, while also feeding and caring for dozens of animals living on the streets around me.
Some of the animals who started it all.
They came in every imaginable shape and size. Purebreds and mutts. Puppies and seniors. Confident dogs and terrified ones. Animals who needed a meal, animals who needed a home, and animals who simply needed someone to notice them.
Some stayed with me.
Some moved on to families of their own.
Some died in my arms.
But every one of them left something behind.
They taught me that every animal is worth celebrating.
Leaving Greece Didn't Mean Leaving Them Behind
When I moved to the United States, one of the things I missed most was being able to help animals directly.
So I found another way.
I reached out to Takis Shelter in Greece and began volunteering remotely, creating videos that could introduce the shelter's animals to people around the world.
I started the shelter's YouTube channel, which grew to more than 500,000 subscribers, and the videos I created went on to receive more than 150 million views.
And that became one of the biggest lessons of my life in rescue:
Sometimes changing an animal's life begins simply by helping someone see them.
Then Everything Stopped
When COVID arrived, international travel became incredibly difficult.
Adoptions slowed dramatically.
Dogs who had families waiting for them couldn't travel. Others remained in shelters while more animals continued to arrive.
They needed somewhere to go.
So I started building a foster network.
Eventually, more than 80 volunteers across Germany, the Netherlands and Finland opened their homes to dogs while they waited for their next chapter.
Together, that network helped more than 400 dogs get adopted.
Those foster families taught me something else.
Rescue isn't only about the person who finds the dog.
It's the person who drives.
The person who donates.
The person who shares a post.
The person who opens their home.
The person who says goodbye to a foster through tears so there's room to save another.
It's about people who show up.
Perfectly Imperfect
My journey also brought me for a brief time to Perfect Imperfections, a Connecticut rescue dedicated to helping dogs with disabilities.
There I was reminded of something the animals had been teaching me all along:
Different doesn't mean less.
[PHOTO: A memorable special-needs dog]
Some animals have three legs.
Some have one eye.
Some can't hear.
Some can't see.
Some are old.
Some are scared.
Some carry scars you can see, and others carry ones you can't.
And some are simply ridiculous-looking mutts with crooked ears, questionable genetics and enormous personalities.
They don't need to be perfect to deserve a wonderful life.
None of us do.
The Faces Behind Our Why
Over the years, I've rescued, adopted, fostered or helped dogs and cats of every imaginable shape, color, size and background.
Some came from the street.
Some came through shelters.
Some stayed for a few days.
Some stayed forever.
Every one had a story.
And every one mattered.
This is my original gang
Why Tongues Out
After all these years, I've seen frightened street dogs become someone's best friend.
I've watched dogs who had never lived inside discover beds, toys and couches.
I've watched people reorganize their entire lives for an animal they'd only just met.
I've seen foster families fall hopelessly in love and somehow find the courage to say goodbye.
And I've watched scared, uncertain dogs slowly become something completely different:
Safe. Loved. Home.
And eventually…
A tongue out.
That image of Freddo captures what this brand means to me.
A tongue-out dog isn't worried about where the next meal is coming from.
They aren't wondering where they'll sleep tonight.
They're just being a dog.
Happy. Ridiculous. Loved.
That's Tongues Out.
Wear Their Story
I created Tongues Out for the people who understand what animals bring into our lives.
For the adopters.
The fosters.
The rescuers.
The shelter workers.
The volunteers.
The neighborhood feeders.
The dog moms and cat dads.
The foster failures.
And everyone who has ever looked at an animal and thought:
You're coming with me.
Our apparel celebrates rescue culture, pet-parent life and the wonderfully imperfect animals we fall in love with.
Some designs will make people laugh.
Some will start conversations.
And some will be inspired by real animals I've been lucky enough to meet along the way.
But they all come from the same belief:
Every one is worth celebrating.
Welcome to Tongues Out.
Wear your heart. Celebrate every animal.