Whipper

This is Whipper, my new dog!!! Ok well she's Danielle's new dog too but still. Hehehe!

She's a whippet/sheltie mix breed and she's 5 years old. Danielle and I drove out to Clarenville on July 25th to adopt her. She was on "urgent" and many of you know what that means when it comes to the SPCA. We couldn't believe that no one wanted to adopt this dog!!!

She is absolutely amazing. She's already housetrained, she is quiet - except for the occasional growling at any sudden noises, and she LOVES to cuddle. I mean, LOVES IT! And of course, Danielle and I don't mind that at all. We've been wanting a dog for a while now but it just wasn't practical because neither Danielle or I knew where we would be heading in the future. Now that I know I'm accepted at MUN and I want to stay here to work, I won't be moving away for a LONG time. This means that Whipper will have a home with us for as long as she's on this good god-given earth! We don't mind the little bit of extra work that goes into it. You need to brush them, bath them, walk them and pick up their poo. But it's all worth it when they look back at you with their big brown puppy dog eyes and snuggle into you for dear life. You can't help but smile. Plus they are great company. Danielle and I spend so much time in the apartment studying, and it can be very lonely at times. It will be great to have some additional company and something to take our mind of the books once in a while.

Ok so back to Whipper. She sleeps in the bed with either one of us - she shares herself. She cuddles right up next to you and goes to sleep. She also lays up next to you when you are lying on the couch and stretches out. She loves to be pet and follows you around everywhere.

She was very timid and shy when we first got her, but she is already growing very comfortable with us and with her new home. She jumps now at the thought of a walk, she loves her dentabone or any kind of treat. Although she's not a toy dog. She won't chew anything that isn't edible which is a good thing if we want to leave her home alone. She is very obedient. She pees on command, sits, lies down on her blanket when told, amongst other things.

As I have already mentioned, she was extremely shy and timid to handling when we first got her. We think she may have been abused with her previous owner, but this might just be part of her temperment. She is very scared at sudden movements or loud objects (like the Metrobus) or anything that catches her eye last minute, she jumps back from. It's kinda funny to watch but at the same time, it's sad. She's just a big scaredie cat and that just makes me want to protect and love her more! She is very calm and placid, which might not be everyone's thing, but for Danielle and I living in an apartment, she fits like a glove. We know when we come back from leaving her home alone, the place will still be in one piece and the neighbours will be left undisturbed.

The only reason she wouldn't have been adopted is because of her age. Personally, I think adopting older dogs is great. They usually already have all their shots, are usually spayed/neutered, and even housetrained. There is no hassle. I encourage anyone thinking of adopting to look at all the dogs, not just the puppies. You'll be so surprised with what you might find and you'll save a life. These dogs are usually only kept at the SPCA for a month, may be a bit longer if they find a foster home. After that, they are euthanized. So go out and save a life!

They'll thank you for it, trust me!

Now, I gotta go walk the dog and watch her jump up and down and wag her tail as hard as she can....tehehehehehhe.

Don't worry Oreo, we still love you too!!!