Puppy Love - Rescue and Adoption pets

Pets of the Kawarthas

Puppy Love

By Susan Porter Dunkley, Peterborough Humane Society

In 1959, Puppy Love was written and performed by Paul Anka. My favourite version, and the one I pined to, was the version by Donny Osmond in 1972. February is the month of love, and I cannot think of anything more wonderful than the love of a puppy – young or old! This month we share stories of some great love affairs. Anyone who has had a dog – be it a rescue or not – knows that there is nothing as amazing! I have been blessed to have the love of a dog in my life since I was a young girl. My most recent “love” is my beautiful girl Zoey who you will read about, along with a few other wonderful pups, in the stories below. In my job, however, I find love on a whole different level! I have the distinct honour of helping dogs (and cats) who are looking for their forever home and a little piece of my heart goes out the door with every adoption. I am privileged to be loved wholeheartedly by a dog, and I can only hope that my “puppy love” never ever ends.

Shontelle, Sheyanne and Tank (photos courtesy of Heather Dougthty Photography)

Shontelle O’Connor - Three years ago I talked my husband into fostering a dog. A local rescue needed a temporary home for the dog, so it was a good way to see if we wanted to foster. We fell in love with Tank, a Mastiff, and he became a permanent member of our family! He stole our hearts. Our second foster was Juno, a Dalmatian/lab/husky. She had a rough past, but was still young. She was terrified of everyone. With some love and patience, we soon saw a crazy, sweet girl who just wanted to be loved. We adopted Juno. Then came Molly, an American bulldog, who had fear aggression. That wild girl turned out to be the absolute sweetest, goofiest girl ever. Once she realized she was safe, we saw her true colours shine. We were devastated when she was adopted, but were happy she found a home. A week later she was returned to the shelter. Molly was adopted again. A few months later the couple contacted me. They were devastated, but their other dog had attacked Molly. This meant Molly would have been in 4 homes in under a year. It was clear that Molly HAD to stay with us. These dogs all have their quirks but the love and Page 36

happiness they bring into our home far exceeds any of the “baggage” they carry. They give us the unconditional love and appreciation that you can only find in a dog who understands that you gave them another chance and have shown them love that they hadn’t experienced that before. We fell in love with our “foster fails” and are so lucky to have had these crazies come into our lives. They changed our lives for the better. We didn’t choose them, they chose us.

Sofie Andreou and Duke

Sofie Andreou - Duke was a 3 month old abused puppy when we adopted him. We have had many Camper adventures, having crossed Canada, US & Mexico multiple times. He loves to body surf in the Ocean. Because of Duke, I’ve actually completed10 half marathons! In 2014 we saw a young dog at the Humane Society who looked just like Duke when he was younger! We just had to adopt him. We figured that Duke needed Buddy! Duke was 8 then, and was just slowing down. Buddy turned Duke back into a puppy! Buddy was found on the streets in 2013, he was very thin and sad. His paw pads were all cracked . These two boys have become very close. While Duke has had a few strokes recently and is having ongoing knee issues, Buddy doesn’t leave his side. In 2015

these boys saved me. I was diagnosed with a large brain tumor. They say the only reason I am able walk as well as I do is because of all the walks with the boys, retraining myself to walk. I can’t imagine life without both my boys. I thank the Humane Society for saving them and them for saving me!

“We didn’t choose them, they chose us”

Tammy O’Connor, Charlie and Pat O’Connor

Tammy O’Connor - We adopt our fur baby in April 2017. We heard of a dear little Shih Tzu that was in danger of being put down. His deadline was midnight THAT night! He looked SO much like the dog my husband adopted a month after we were married. We had had that little guy for 17 years. We agreed to foster him. JUST foster, as we have a troubled American Eskimo that doesn’t play well with other dogs. The next day the Shih Tzu was put in a car in Quebec and began his long trek to Peterborough. He went from one car to another until he arrived here. He was a sweet little guy that had been mistreated and abused. Still, we said he was just a foster. He had issues for sure! Needless to say after just a couple of days here he wasn’t going anywhere! We fell in love withhim. His name is Charlie. We are a ‘foster fail’. Our other dog gets along with him amazingly well, which is something we never thought would happen. I guess it was just meant to be. We couldn’t love him more!

Susan Dunkley and Zoey

Susan Dunkley - Zoey (aka Lady Gorgonzola) came in to my life on cold January morning and while I am a strong advocate for rescuing animals, truth be told, she rescued me. She was born to a friend of mine and was spoken for. When the new home failed, she become our family pup and my world turned upside down. Her beautiful eyes and quick kiss have seen me through a tumultuous divorce, a major change in career, a new and wonderful man and the teenage years of 2 boys. She is almost 14 but still manages to walk daily with me almost 4 km and I cannot wait to walk in our front door for the greeting that I know awaits me. Owning a dog has changed my life forever – and is truly one of the greatest privileges ever!