Happy Tails

I got these beautiful pictures from Ollie, now named Koa’s mama. Just out there living his best life! It's been exactly one year since she adopted him. Happy tails!

It took a while to find Tatum’s perfect home. We saw at adoption events that she was particularly drawn to children, and would sit calmly or lean into a child.

She finally found her perfect forever home, and the newest ‘pupdate’:

Cody’s alumni Tatum has a new little “bald puppy” and she is in love. ♥

In August of 2018 there was this very quiet, injured pup in a rural shelter. Cayde had been stuck there for some time with a large abscess on the side of his face. I had followed him for several days before agreeing to foster him. We were told the injury was due to a dog bite. Looking back now, he was the first of many injured pups I was to foster.

What the shelter didn’t know, and the rescue didn’t find out until the infection cleared some 12 weeks later, is that Cayde’s jaw had actually been broken and it was the end of his jaw bone poking into his cheeks. Luckily, it healed without leaving permanent scars.

By Christmas that year, he became my dog, and thus began an amazing adventure of friendship and loyalty. Five years later, Cayde is my anxiety response service dog. His gentle, intelligent nature has made him my partner and my lifeline back to “normal” when I need it. We go everywhere together. I’m a dog trainer by profession, and we work together in my pet training classes. He is also the dog I turn to when bringing in a new foster dog. His quiet calm, I’m-ready-to-play nature puts a new dog at ease . Over the next 2 yrs Cayde will transition from service dog to what truly is Cayde’s passion: being a therapy dog. His heart is to provide comfort for anyone having a rough day or who just needs that quiet, reassuring presence to sit with. From injured, forgotten puppy to friend, partner and family.

In January 2019, my husband and I decided we were ready to get another dog. Our previous dog had passed away in May 2018 and our son, Ethan, was born in November. Our 4 year old daughter, Aelyn, was asking for another dog and we wanted our baby son to grow up with a pet too. After extensive searching online, I came across Belle. She was rescued by Cody’s Friends from an abusive situation and had been with the rescue for well over two years already. We adopted Belle and she was immediately a great fit in our family. She’s so intuitive and gentle around children! Aelyn refused to let us change Belle’s name, saying “She is a princess!”. Belle loves water and plays with the outdoor water toys with the kids. She used to lay on the floor next to baby Ethan during tummy time. He learned how to walk by pulling himself up while holding onto her. Belle is now 13 and having trouble getting around. But she still loves to sit outside in the sunshine in the backyard, give kisses to all of us, and receive lots of treats and love. She is our gentle giant and the sweetest soul. We couldn’t ask for a better dog to be such an integral part of our family.

- Emily Vajirasarn