My Victim Impact Statement Following the Sentencing of my Stalker
In July of 2025,
Christopher Mulley was arrested and charged with criminal harassment for
stalking me, and one other woman. Chris had been making unwanted contact with me
since 2021, which included unwanted phone and message communication, locating me
on social media, showing up uninvited to my door, and even trying to enter my
apartment without my consent, inviting me on walks, dropping gifts and
chocolate at my door, and following me on the street. I would ignore his
advances and told him to stop contacting me repeatedly, but he did not respect
my boundary. All of this has been well documented, and I turned a detailed
timeline and the evidence into the detective and the Crown Attorney. Police told
him to stop repeatedly, and he did not stop and was ultimately arrested. He was
charged with one count of criminal harassment for stalking me and one count of
criminal harassment for stalking another woman. I am aware of three other women
who filed police reports against Chris for similar behaviour that he was not
charged for. Those women’s stories are not mine to tell.
Remembering an unforgettable dog: It's been a year since we said goodbye to Keira
I read a quote recently that resonated with me. It said, "Grief does not shrink, we expand to accommodate it." The hole that Keira left in my life (and in Hazel's life) is as large as it was a year ago, but Hazel and I have grown to accept that it will always be there. On July 13, 2020, I made the difficult decision to euthanize my sweet, beloved Keira. Even though it was the right thing to do because she was suffering from an unknown illness (possibly gastric cancer) I had a hard time letting her go. I remember being in total disbelief. It's hard to believe a year has gone by already.
Christmas mourning: How to cope with your first holiday season after losing a pet
I'm forcing myself to be festive this year. I've had times in my life when I skipped Christmas altogether. "I'm not Christmasing this year," I'd say when people asked me standard holiday questions like "Do you have your tree up yet?" This year I'm forcing myself to be festive for the sake of my mental health. One small reason is the COVID-19 pandemic has sucked so much happiness out of 2020 that I'm trying to infuse some of the obligatory Christmas joy into what's left of the year. The biggest reason for my forced festivities is Keira. More specifically the loss of Keira I suffered earlier this year.
Hurricane Hazel blew into town: This puppy yells her own story with sass-mouth
Hurricane Hazel blew into our lives one year ago, and
things have never been the same. I remember reading books and articles to
prepare. How to Raise the Perfect Dog:
Through Puppyhood and Beyond by Cesar Millan was a good one. Some things
you just can’t plan for. Regardless, Hazel has been such a vibrant and curious
puppy. She is so different when compared to Keira. From day one, Hazel has had
a real sassy attitude- Little Miss Sass-Mouth. She is big. She is bold. She isn’t
afraid of anything! She is pure comedy.
Dealing with a doggy disability: X-rays show the progression of Hazel's broken femur
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Hazel at 9 weeks and 13 weeks
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Hazel, my Saint
Bernese puppy, is
four months old, and much has changed for this fluffy little spitfire of a
mountain dog. When my partner and I brought Hazel home on March 22, we
noticed that she walked with a limp. I brought her to the animal hospital where
I work the next day and received some bad news- Hazel had fractured her femur
bone in her left hind leg at some point early on in her life. It went undiagnosed and untreated. The first radiograph showed that the bone had completely callused over, causing the left leg to be shorter than the right.
As
I discussed in my letter from the editor, Hazel will walk with a limp, is
guaranteed to have arthritis and hip dysplasia early on in life, and may need major surgery. At that time, I was still waiting for the surgeon’s assessment.
Later that week, I received the news- the surgeon said I should leave the leg for
now, but take X-rays monthly to monitor the growth and watch for signs of pain.
If we saw signs of soreness, we were to put Hazel on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to help with pain management.