When Cassie first came to live with us, she was shy, skittish, and scared.
Tailed
tucked firmly under her belly, she ignored a basket full of squeaky toys and no amount of treats
could convince her to sleep in the ginormous bone-shaped doggie
bed my husband and I carefully picked out at the store. Instead, she politely but stubbornly stared at us from under-the-bed safety.
Weeks went by but Cassie's big Chihuahua ears stayed pinned back. She was cautious of our harmless 10-year old beagle and avoided our two curious cats like the plague. In Cassie's defense, both are quite a bit bigger than she is. Loud noises petrified her.
Changes happened gradually, often when we weren't even paying attention. One day, Cassie didn't hide when I started the vacuum. Another time, she marched bravely past Niko-the-cat as if he wasn't even
there. And yet another, Cassie didn't cross the street when a big dog
walked towards her. Her ears perked up and her tail no longer touched her belly.
We've had Cassie for over a year, and are still seeing changes in this
brave, precious bundle of joy. She adores us and greets us with enthusiastic barks when we come home from work. She loves her older sister, although does draw the line at sharing treats with her. The squeaky toys and the bone-shaped bed are in full use. And instead of giving up her warm spot to Niko, Cassie graciously shares her favorite couch cushion. She was there first, after all.
Have you adopted from C.A.R.E.? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Just comment or send us a note ("Send us a Note" tool on the right-hand side) and see your own adoption story published on the C.A.R.E. blog.
Cassie, adopted from C.A.R.E by Nathan and Natasha, March 2012
Tailed
tucked firmly under her belly, she ignored a basket full of squeaky toys and no amount of treats
could convince her to sleep in the ginormous bone-shaped doggie
bed my husband and I carefully picked out at the store. Instead, she politely but stubbornly stared at us from under-the-bed safety. Weeks went by but Cassie's big Chihuahua ears stayed pinned back. She was cautious of our harmless 10-year old beagle and avoided our two curious cats like the plague. In Cassie's defense, both are quite a bit bigger than she is. Loud noises petrified her.
We've had Cassie for over a year, and are still seeing changes in this
brave, precious bundle of joy. She adores us and greets us with enthusiastic barks when we come home from work. She loves her older sister, although does draw the line at sharing treats with her. The squeaky toys and the bone-shaped bed are in full use. And instead of giving up her warm spot to Niko, Cassie graciously shares her favorite couch cushion. She was there first, after all.Have you adopted from C.A.R.E.? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Just comment or send us a note ("Send us a Note" tool on the right-hand side) and see your own adoption story published on the C.A.R.E. blog.
Cassie, adopted from C.A.R.E by Nathan and Natasha, March 2012