Molson and Maple
When Christa Hinn’s Golden Retriever Stella passed away from cancer two years ago, her six-month-old puppy Molson was heartbroken. She didn’t want to wait to find Molson a companion, so they added Maple to their family. She started documenting the pair’s adventures, and soon more than 100,000 people were following along. Whether they’re getting dressed up in costumes or visiting Santa at the mall, Molson and Maple are transforming their trademark adorableness into smiles at every turn.
“I used to run Social Media and Marketing at my previous job and used those skills and knowledge to grow Molson and Maple’s account!” says Christa. “Although I had no idea it would blow up the way it did! I just started it for fun and now it’s my job which is amazing! Not to mention my coworkers are really fluffy.”
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There’s still a Stella-sized hole in their hearts, though. ”Stella’s cancer came out of the blue, and with that, you immediately start blaming yourself and asking what you could’ve done better to prevent it,” says Christa. “The second we found out about her diagnosis, we did our research and quickly realized cancer in Goldens was more common than we thought. Especially in the last 10 years. But why??? From that day on we committed to making sure we gave our pups the best shot at a long life.” Christa worked hard to learn all about what it would take to keep her other pups happy and healthy, doing research into what kind of food, lifestyle, and even cleaning products would be best. “Although you can’t fully ensure the prevention of cancer, you can make healthy adjustments and do everything in your power to give them the longest life possible!”
She’s doing what she can to support scientific research into cancer in Golden Retrievers too. She, along with Molson and Maple of course, is running a custom shirt fundraiser to raise money and awareness for this cause and to benefit Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study dedicated to identifying the nutritional, environmental, lifestyle and genetic risk factors for cancer and other diseases in dogs. They have more than 3,000 Golden Retrievers enrolled in their program and are working to learn more about the underlying causes affecting dogs like Stella.
Photo courtesy of Christa Hinn. Design by Custom Ink.
To get the custom design for the shirts, Christa turned to Custom Ink’s artists to create something special: a portrait of Molson and Maple. Christa says, “We are obsessed with the final product!”
She hopes that people are inspired and informed by their efforts. “We live every day to the fullest with Molson and Maple and adore seeing the world through their eyes! The way they love is so inspiring and we hope to continue to spread that love to people all over the world!”
Photo courtesy of ChristaHinn. Shirt by Custom Ink.
You can see and support Christa and Molson and Maple’s fundraiser on their Custom Ink Fundraising page.
Miellyn is the Director of Marketing Content at Custom Ink. Her work has spanned marketing for television networks like TLC and Travel, educational content for Smithsonian and National Geographic, marketing and story for indie video games, essays for publishers including Random House, The Telegraph, and Smart Pop Books, and stories for press outlets like VICE and VH1.
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