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Happy Endings
- Callie (formerly Calypso adopted
May 2007)
 
 
 
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This is for Callie, formerly Calypso, adopted May 2007
from the Durham Animal Shelter.
My boyfriend and I adopted Callie (formerly Calypso) from the Durham
Animal Shelter in May 2007. This dog was going to be the first dog I had
ever owned and originally I went into the shelter with the image of a
small, cuddly, wriggly puppy in my head. I almost passed Callie by, but
as I was looking through the cages one of the volunteers was sitting on
the floor cuddling with Callie in her pen. As I walked by Callie started
thumping her tail and the volunteer said "I think she likes you." That
got my attention, so I asked to see Callie and she was so timid and so
shy. She would keep her head down; she didn't want any treats and was
really nervous. After talking with a volunteer she suggested that we
bring in my boyfriend's family dog, Lulu, to see how they were together.
It was like magic—Callie was jumping up and walking. To this day, we
credit Lulu with teaching Callie how to become a great dog.
A few weeks later, when Callie first came home all she wanted to do was
to stay outside. She was afraid of everything—of the door shutting, of
the stairs, of someone moving too quickly. We would just leave the back
door open and go inside and let her come inside at her own pace. Slowly,
when we weren't looking Callie would come inside and sniff around and if
we looked up, she would race back outside. It didn't take long though
for Callie to realize that living inside a house and sleeping on a
couch, is WAY more comfortable than being outside.
Everyday Callie makes great strides in becoming more of a confident,
well-adjusted dog. Even now, only 3 months later, it is hard for us to
remember the Callie we first met. Callie now loves to take long walks,
romp and play with other dogs, snuggle with people, chase birds and
other small animals, bark, and chew anything she can get her paws on. We
hope to train her to become a therapy dog because she has such a kind
gentle soul, and she loves being with people.
The most amazing thing about Callie is that while she didn't fit the
picture I had in my mind of a small, wriggly puppy, she turned out to be
more of the dog I wanted than I even knew at the time. Callie has the
speed and agility of my friend's border collie, the loyalty and patience
of my grandmother's golden retriever, and the playfulness and energy of
her good lab friend, Lulu. Callie will always have a place on our couch
and in our hearts. |
 
 
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