The Adoption of Coco

It was year two after our move back to my small hometown in B.C. and I was struggling to maintain my Australian Shepherd X, Sweet Bean’s social life. I had bought her from a family in Kanata when I lived in Ottawa. I had tried to adopt from a shelter at the time, but none of the shelters I had reached out to ever got back to me (I took it as a good sign that the shelters were busy with successful rehoming stories). After months of searching I ended up with Sweet Bean. She had had many friends at the dog park in Ottawa but unfortunately due to my living situation I ended up having to move back to B.C. I eventually managed to make several friends for her that she had playdates with on the semi-regular, but her social life had been lacking since our move. I had always wanted more than one dog and I knew it was time to take the leap and get a second dog.

I knew I wanted to support a shelter and adopt a dog and I had heard wonderful things about N.O. Paws Left behind in Oroville Washington from dog park friends so I decided that would be my first stop in my adventure to find a dog. I looked through the photos of the dogs on their facebook page and phoned the rescue to see if I could bring my dog with me to meet potential dogs. The person who answered the phone told me yes and I asked if I needed to schedule an appointment to visit the shelter and was told no, just come on by during open hours. Already this experience was much more accessible than my attempts in Ontario.

I made plans to visit the shelter with my parents with whom I lived at the time, and commenced preparations; mostly just making sure I had Sweet Bean’s rabies vaccination certificate so we could cross the border. Upon arriving at the shelter we were greeted by one of the volunteers, who showed me around the shelter and asked me what I was looking for in a dog while Sweet Bean waited in my car in the shade with the windows cracked.

We looked at a variety of dogs, I had asked to look at dogs that were friendly towards other dogs, children and animals. There were two pit mix sisters that looked very sweet and were so friendly. They both stood up against the fence, big smiles, wagging tails, bestowing kisses upon me through the fence. However, they looked so similar to Sweet Bean’s friend Kaya that I decided against them because I didn’t want any dog park confusion. I decided on three dogs to introduce to Sweet Bean (one at a time) and none of them had been the ones I was interested in when I had looked on the facebook page.

The first dog on the short list was still a puppy, despite being almost fully . Her name was Macy, her owners had lost their home and she was underweight and still in the process of gaining weight. I took her and Sweet Bean for a walk down a long driveway to get them away from the sounds of dogs barking from the shelter so the two could become more acquainted in a more quiet, calm environment. Along the driveway the goats at the shelter were wandering around outside of their pens. Sweet Bean, true to her herding nature barked at them until they returned to the other side of the fence. We eventually stopped at a grassy patch on the side of the driveway about half way from the shelter to the main road. Macy was full of happiness and love and got along reasonably well with Sweet Bean, but I wanted to see how Sweet Bean would get along with the other potential two.

Next up on the roster was Honey Bear, whose fur was so soft it was like heaven. He was so sweet, just like his name. I took him and Sweet Bean on the same walk as I had taken Sweet Bean and Macy and again Sweet Bean made sure the goats were in their pens and again we stopped in the same spot for them to get acquainted. They got along reasonably well but ultimately didn’t pay much attention to each other. Honey Bear was a big attention suck and just wanted all the affection from the humans. I strongly debated adopting him then and there, he was so sweet. But I decided to introduce Sweet Bean to the last dog on my short list to see how they would get along.

The final dog I had chosen in the walk around was named Milo, he was a young dog- around two years old. He was very energetic and happy to be alive. Sweet Bean and Milo walked reasonably well together, but ultimately seemed not super interested in each other upon their grassy patch time. So we walked back to the main part of the shelter and the volunteer greeted us. The volunteer guessed that Macy would be the winner of my adoption for the day, but something hadn’t quite clicked with any of the dogs. I thought about it for a second and then asked if I could see one of the pit mix sisters that had seemed so friendly earlier.

I love pit bulls and have always wanted one, I had originally wanted a pitbull in Ontario before I realized all of Ontario had BSL against . I decided that they would be worth checking out despite looking like the clones of Kaya, one of Sweet Bean's friends.

The volunteer brought out one of the sisters to meet us. Immediately I was enchanted by the buff baby that came pulling towards us as hard as she possibly could. She was basically crawling to us and upon reaching me she wrapped her front paws around my legs in a big buff puppy hug. I was instantly in love. It was already made up in my mind right then and there that she would be the dog I would adopt that day. She circled around me with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on a dog’s face and tangled me up in her leash. Once I managed to get untangled from her I could see that she was so excited to meet Sweet Bean too, and Sweet Bean was very excited as well.

We began our walk down the driveway and Bean checked to make sure that the goats remained in their pens. Upon reaching the grassy area both Sweet Bean and the pittie pup broke free from me and began running around to play with each other. I managed to get the pittie’s leash and I trusted Sweet Bean not to run off so I allowed them to play a little longer before taking them back to the shelter to tell the volunteer that I would adopt the pittie that day.

They were thrilled to hear that I would be adopting and brought me an application for her. Her name was Marley at the time, but I instantly decided that her name would be Coco. She had been born at the shelter, I guess the person who owned her mother surrendered the mother when she was pregnant and then once the puppies were born asked for their dog back. The shelter had allowed this on condition that the dog be spayed so it wouldn’t happen again. Then Coco (formerly Marley) had been adopted out as a puppy but returned before she was even six months old. I often wonder how the family that had originally adopted her had treated her during that time.

Fortunately for me, Coco already had her rabies vaccine and had been spayed so I was able to take her home that day, which while unexpected was a very pleasant surprise. Another volunteer handed me her leash after I finished filling out the application and suggested I look into food allergies as Coco had some patches where her fur was thinning and allergies could be the cause. My mom worried about leaving Coco's sister in the shelter un-adopted and alone. Fortunately she and all the other dogs we looked at were adopted not long after our visit, Coco's sister was adopted I think about a week later so she wasn't "alone" for long.

Coco didn’t want to get into the vehicle so I picked her up and put her in the car and while she didn’t like it she tolerated it. Sweet Bean hopped right in the car, no problem, as usual and we went on our way home. Coco was drooling and panting very early into the trip home, she threw up pretty quickly in. We stopped in a town around the halfway point to let her have a break from driving. She had a pee and I gave her a drink but then when we went to leave again she again wouldn’t get into the car on her own and growled at me when I tried to lift her into the vehicle. My mom tried to get her into the car, none of us could get her into the car. If I tried to pick her up she would growl at me and then cower as though she thought I would beat her. I didn’t yet know her well enough to know what her boundaries were or what she would do if I crossed the boundary she was clearly trying to set. I took some time to think about how to best proceed, I didn't want to further overwhelm the little buff baby.

A stranger who had stopped at the same place as us came over to see what was going on. I explained the situation to him and he offered to try to help. He tried to pick her up and was greeted by the same low grumble of a growl as I had been. He decided to try to trick her into getting into the vehicle by getting into the vehicle through one door and leaving through the other while we all encouraged her to follow him and once she was in we closed the door in front of her. I climbed into the car and Sweet Bean hopped in and we continued the trip.

Again, it was not long before Coco began to pant and drool from car sickness. I gave her lots of pets and words of affirmation to try to help her stay calm. Once we got into town I asked my parents if they would drop us at the pet store and I would pick up a few things for the new pup such as a harness, crate and food specifically for . We pulled into the parking lot and I let the dogs out of the car. Sweet Bean was entirely ready to go into the pet store and was elated with her new friend. Coco’s reaction was that of a seasick sailor lost at sea for years who finally reached land. She laid in the parking lot for a while like she thought the land was going to move beneath her if she wasn’t careful.

I asked my parents to stay with her while her tumtum settled a little bit so I could take Sweet Bean into the pet store to begin looking for some items I would want for Coco. First I looked at crates, I pulled the largest crate I could find and tried to estimate if it would be large enough for her. It wasn’t long before my mom brought Coco into the store and we checked if Coco would fit in the crate. It was the perfect size. Then to find food for her, then a harness. We fitted her for a nice, strong harness and I paid for the items. The pet store employees upon finding out Coco was a new adoption, gave us a little happy adoption day package that contained treats for free.

We loaded up the car with the crate and dog food and I decided to walk the ladies (how I refer to Coco and Sweet Bean collectively) the rest of the way home, as I was unsure if Coco would be able to handle any more car time. Coco and Sweet Bean were so happy to have each other as a new friend and have visited the pet store. Coco in particular was very happy to be walking and not be in the car anymore.

Upon arriving at home Coco didn’t want to get inside, she just wanted to stay outside and play. I let the ladies stay outside and play for a while, at one point Coco was going to go run through my neighbor’s yard, but once I called out her new name “Coco!” she looked at me and came running back. After encouraging Coco to come inside she finally came into the porch, but would come no further. I decided not to push her and allow her to acclimatize at her own pace. I put her new crate in the porch with pillows, a large stuffed bunny and a few toys. Sweet Bean perched herself at the top of the stairs that descended to the porch to watch over Coco. I would check in with Coco regularly to give her love and comfort.

It was a week before Coco felt comfortable to come up the stairs to the main part of the house. She had spent much time snuggled up in her crate, a space which to this day remains her safe space.

During the first week that Coco still wasn’t coming into the main part of the house I slowly prepared her for when we would have to travel to the vet. There was no vet in my town at the time so we would have to travel a couple hours to see one. I had managed to make an appointment for the following week so I knew we’d have to tackle this car sickness issue. Each day I would take Coco and Sweet Bean out to my van with a bunch of treats. I would use Sweet Bean and treats as bait to get Coco into the van. Then we would just sit in the van while it was off and I would give both ladies treats and love for a few minutes so that Coco would slowly begin to have positive associations with being in the van. After a few days it became easier to convince Coco to get in the van. I started to turn the van on while we sat so Coco could get used to the sound of the van. After about a week Coco would hop right into the van and I decided to take her for a short drive just a few streets over and let them play in a field. After that Coco didn’t want to get back in the van, but it was still easier to convince her than it had originally been.

She was ready for her vet appointment. The drive over was still a little rough, but driving slow and taking corners gently, along with having my dad and Sweet Bean in the back of the van with her managed to keep her calm enough that she only drooled and panted. We did pull over one time to give her a rest but she managed to make it to the vet without throwing up. The vet assessed Coco’s health and had to do three “deep skin” samples to check the cause of her thinning fur. Coco was such a good girl and only growled once when the third sample was almost finished.

The vet briefly left the room to examine the samples and when she returned she had an information sheet on red mange- a non contagious form of mange that bully breed puppies/ immunocompromised dogs/ recently spayed dogs are prone to; of which Coco was in two of those categories. The treatment course for this was simple, it was just tick prevention medication every two weeks (if I remember correctly), instead of every month. It cleared up quickly and with no issues.

Sweet Bean is very much a dog who accepts love from non-human animals only on her own terms. She does not like other dogs laying or stepping on her (she is small, only 25lbs so I can’t say I blame her), she much prefers to pick when and how she snuggles with other dogs or cats. So one could imagine my surprise when Sweet Bean, after only a few weeks was actively seeking out snuggles with Coco.

I sometimes wonder what Coco’s life was like with the family that had briefly adopted her. For the first while she would growl any time I would touch her hind legs or belly (unless she had presented it for rubs) and I couldn’t put my arm around her without a grumble. She would flinch and cower with any dramatic movement of hands; at any stern or raised voice; saw anyone holding or handling tools or had basically anything in their hands; or if she heard any swear words. It took me a while to teach her that I would never hit her or hurt her. Slowly she stopped cowering at every little thing, though she’s still very sensitive to raised voices.

There was one particular time when I was making myself some pasta and when Coco came into the kitchen to see me holding a pot she began to cower. I put the pot down on the counter but in her mind the damage had already been done. She decided that she was convinced I was angry at her and was clearly going to beat her. I tried to calm her and convince her that I wasn’t angry or going to beat her, I gave her love and affection and she hesitantly stopped cowering. As soon as I went back to my task of making macaroni and she went back to being convinced the world was ending and continued to cower.

I invited her into her crate and gave her some treats. She laid in her crate and sulked for about an hour while Sweet Bean watched over her to make sure she was safe. After about an hour Coco came out of her crate and felt fine and dandy once again. Fortunately she always feels safe in her crate and seems to have finally learned that neither I, nor anyone else around us is going to ever hurt her. Now the main struggle is clipping her nails. I bought a nail grinder and am now able to make some progress in her nail trimmings, whereas before with traditional nail clippers I was unable to clip even one nail.

I absolutely adore Coco, adopting her was one of the best decisions I have ever made. She is so sweet and full of love. She and Sweet Bean absolutely love each other and I don’t think either could ever imagine life without the other. We have been on countless adventures together and Coco has gotten over her car sickness. She now is excited to get into the van or truck because she knows we’ll be going somewhere exciting. Coco loves meeting new people and new dogs. She loves seeing new places. I’ve taken her into the mountains for hikes, to lakes and rivers for plays and swims, and way up North to Prince Rupert to visit loved ones. Coco is the best partner for Sweet Bean and me, there are no other dogs than Sweet Bean and Coco that I’d rather go adventuring with.

Unfortunately, Coco has developed some joint issues in either her hips or knees. They are very mild issues and the vet said he couldn't identify any issues but that based off of the symptoms I described and the video of her going down a set of stairs that she definitely has some sort of issue. He recommended the use of supplements to treat the issues as there's not much else to do, her issues are not nearly bad enough to require surgery and that's the only other option. Coco is still young, she was only three at the time when I first noticed her soreness and got her in to see the vet. She now gets recovery and fish oil which has her back to her playful self and has her going up and down stairs with little to no problem.

A nice side effect of the supplements is that her fur is now crazy ridiculous soft and where she used to have milddandruff she now has none. Sweet Bean also gets the supplements, despite not having a need for it. I figure good maintenance for her joints and she and Coco are both super soft and silky.

We always celebrate her adoptiversary with a hike and a home made meal. There's a hill behind our house that takes a couple hours to reach the top of. We usually hike up there and then visit the pet store. I have to limit her activity because even though she's doing much better now that she gets the supplements, she still gets sore and achy if she does too much in a day. She doesn't understand or really appreciate having to stop playing or having to only go for short hikes and walks, but if she had her way she would play so hard that come evening she would not be able to get up.

Coco loves to play in the water, but is always hesitant to swim until she sees her sister Sweet Bean swimming. I always find it so funny how readily she gets in the water to play or drink, and yet she gets so offended if you intentionally get any liquid on her. She has very short fur especially around her nose and to avoid her getting sun burnt she needs sunscreen. She has a stick and a spray, any time I have to use either she sulks and decides that she doesn't want to go outside anymore. The audacity of anyone to spritz her.

She's not very helpful in the garden, but she loves to try. She will bask in the sun or lay in the dirt you plan to use, and will often roll in it. I call her my little pit belly pig because when she's sniffing a good sniff or rolling around she almost sounds like a pig snorting and oinking.

Coco is always happy to meet new dogs and play. Sweet Bean loves to meet new dogs, but needs an introduction or she panics. Open spaces, or controlled pace of introduction are key for Sweet Bean's comfort.

She sometimes tries to act all cool and aloof, but her tail always betrays her. There are no secrets when it comes to how she's feeling. I walk by and even before I see where she is I know she's happy to see me because her tail will thump and alert me that she wants love and affection.

When Coco cut her back she was more worried about being in trouble than she was about the big cut on her back. I had to keep her calm until I could get her to the vet for stitches. She's such a tough buff baby that I don't think she even really felt the cut, she was just sad that she had to stop playing.

Coco snores so softly she's a soothing snuggle buddy to sleep with at night.

If there is ever any space for her to squish behind or underneath one of the humans she loves, she will entirely take up that opportunity. If she's not playing then she needs to be touching someone and snuggling. When we sleep she will often pin me against the wall because every time I go to turn over she shifts into my space even more so she can touch me and by the end of the night I'm almost off the bed. She will stay in bed for snuggles even though in the summer she overheats. I've had to kick her out of bed to go get a drink of water because she'll just lay next to me and pant as she gets overheated.

I am always grateful to the volunteers who help keep shelters going and help dogs find their "furever" homes. They take excellent care of these little fur babies until they can find the humans who will love and care for them. I try to buy from their fundraiser shirts when I can and I always make sure to tell everyone how great N.O. paws left behind is. Any little thing I can do to support the wonderful people who give so much love to these animals, I try to do.