Korina has a lot of love to give, and she wanted a dog to accompany her throughout her days. It was about 4 years ago when she came across Sweetie’s picture in a Kijiji ad. Sweetie was born in a puppy mill, and at about 5 years old, she wasn’t reproducing and would be euthanized. We brought her into our rescue, shared her bio, and put her up for adoption. Sweetie was in a petrified state and ended up being returned by a previous family who tried to adopt her. When Korina saw Sweetie’s scared picture, she thought, “You look terrible. I must have you.”
Korina wasn’t sure if Sweetie would ever get over her fears. For about the first week after being adopted, Sweetie would sit at the front door and cry. Korina would sit nearby, and cry too, because she didn’t know how to help. “All I wanted to do was cuddle with her and tell her it would be okay.” Since then, Sweetie has warmed up to people in general, and has become comfortable around Korina’s husband, George, as well as other men, who she used to be terrified of.
One of the biggest challenges Korina faced was coaxing Sweetie out of her shell and allowing her to overcome her fear of people. When she reached out for assistance, we provided Korina with suggestions to help ease Sweetie’s anxieties and try to keep her happy. Sweetie is still a little skittish around sudden movements, but she is now very friendly when out in public and eager to say hi to everyone. Over time, Sweetie has learned that people are okay.
After a year together, Korina registered Sweetie as an emotional support animal, and they have both benefited tremendously from this. Sweetie had severe separation anxiety, so she’s a lot more at ease when she can accompany Korina out in public, and this way Korina doesn’t have to worry about Sweetie getting into trouble when she’s left home alone.
Korina has a form of dwarfism called cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH), and when in public, she would often hear negative comments from people and have her personal space invaded. On some occasions, people have even tried to touch her and pick her up, so Sweetie serves as a positive distraction in more ways than one. Korina can focus on Sweetie if she experiences some discomfort while out in public, and Sweetie receives a lot of attention from people instead of their sole focus being on Korina. Korina’s husband, George, also has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, so being able to bring Sweetie along has been helpful and comforting for all three of them. Korina tells us Sweetie has become a celebrity around Newmarket, and is extremely popular at the local Starbucks.
Korina works for a company that makes saddles for horses, and this is Sweetie’s favourite place to visit. She will run off on her own and is completely comfortable around Korina’s colleagues, both male and female, and there is never a shortage of treats and snacks for her around the office. “Our entire building is a sucker for animals” says Korina. The company donates to a charity each year, so when they chose to donate to our rescue, Carly (our founder) visited the site and gave a presentation about the organization and what people do there. She brought a couple of dogs along with her, and that’s when Korina’s brother-in-laws, who own the company, were first introduced to the dog they later adopted.
When in pet stores, if there are toys at eye-level, Sweetie will pick one out and parade around with it in her mouth. That’s how she got her current favourite toy, a colourful, stuffed unicorn. If she could, Sweetie would spend all day every day laying in the sun. Sweetie is originally from Texas, and Korina believes that’s where her love of the heat comes from. She loves getting dressed up in the winter and gets excited when Korina pulls out an outfit for her. One time, during a trip to the beach in Florida, Sweetie helped herself to a chair among a group of about twenty people, who found her charming and hysterical.
Sweetie is very kind with her toys and doesn’t rip them up. Her large ears are one of her most prominent characteristics, and she likes to snort at people when she wants attention. She runs really fast and Korina says she could probably out-snore a 200-pound man.
For Korona, one of the most rewarding things that had come out of this adoption, is being able to start from ground zero and see how much a dog’s personality can change when they feel safe and are treated well. Korina herself is adopted, and she says her family adopted a lot of rescued dogs over the years. She speaks from her own experience when she says, “The people that choose you will love you more than anything… I feel like you almost get more love and devotion from an adopted animal than a puppy. The love they have for you is beyond anything any of us can feel.”