How Sunshine joined our family
When our family's first dog passed away, it took us some time to grieve. A little less than a year and a half after Calou's departure, we were ready to welcome a new four-legged friend, but the pandemic was beginning. This period brought many changes for our family and eventually the start of a new business. So we put this project on hold for a while.
Then, in the months following the launch of KALŪ, we met some members of the Rescue Dogs Lebanon-Canada team and were touched by the mission of the organization, as well as by the animals and the stories that were shared on their website.
That's how we came across Sunshine's photo and profile in October 2021. She was really cute and she seemed to have a lot of energy!
She was in a foster family with children and other animals, which led us to believe that socialization would be easier. So we applied for adoption and a few weeks later, on November 30, 2021, she arrived in Canada. Her given name was Sunshine when she arrived and we chose to keep it, while nicknaming her Sunny.
Before her arrival, we contacted a dog trainer, specialized in adoptions, in order to prepare for the arrival of our dog.
When she got off the plane, she was thirsty and hungry, after 24 hours of travel. She immediately put her head in the KALŪ food bag, which made us laugh. She really was our dog! She adapted quickly to her new food and today she eats our two dog formulas alternately.
With the snow that we had on the ground when she arrived, we had anticipated a great thermal shock! On the other hand, once the surprise dissipated, Sunshine seemed to love the snow and quickly got used to our cold temperatures.
As we anticipated, she was well socialized and loved being around other dogs or humans. She let herself be approached quite easily and she loved to play. With our children, she is generally very good too, but we must always remain vigilant. She tends to think of the younger ones as puppies and treat them as such.
As for walking on a leash, it was (and sometimes still is) quite an adventure. Let's say that she made us take adventurous walks, until the acquisition of our Halti. Her first encounter with squirrels was memorable and she has been trying to get closer to them ever since her arrival!
After a year with us, she remains a bit anxious. Since she is used to spending her days at the warehouse, she is often insecure when James is not near her. She is also sometimes restless when she has not spent enough energy. In these moments, she tends to pick up objects that don't belong to her. We must therefore stay on the lookout for what she puts in her mouth!
1 year after her arrival, we continue training on a regular basis, by ourselves and with the help of specialists as well, in order to stimulate our dog mentally and physically, to prevent behavioral problems and to promote a positive collaboration with our animal.
In short, adopting an animal from a shelter is not for everyone. We must be ready to invest the time and energy in it, in order to create a favorable context for the development of our four-legged companion. However, these challenges also come with great pride for the life we have saved and the path we have traveled together!
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