Windigo's Adoption Story

Pet's name: Windigo
Adopted by: Sonia Colterman and family
From: SPCA of Western Quebec, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Sonia and her family went to the shelter to adopt a cat or kitten, but that didn't quite happen, as you can see by looking at Windigo's photo! Here is his story:

I come from a family who seems to attract animals in need. My mother and grandmother have always taken in the weary, unwanted, and sometimes sick animals that cross their paths, so I come by my animals the same way. Trust me, they find me....

Our latest addition is our dog Windigo. We went to the SPCA in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, to first adopt a cat or kitten. On the way there, my daughter, who had memorized every pet available from their website (future animal adopter), started talking about the dogs. "Hmm," I was thinking. "She has ulterior motives here...." When we arrived we all looked at the cats and kittens, but my daughter wandered off with one of the staff to the dogs, and I could hear her naming off all the dogs and their descriptions to the employee, who was duly impressed. The rest of the family followed. After some family huddle time we decided we would get a dog.

The first dog my daughter was eyeing up was not suitable for our family, as the staff pointed out he had issues like eating fingers of children. OK then, next! We all gathered round the Lab puppies. "Hmm, I'm not sure if I'm up for the puppy challenge," I thought. I was holding out.

Then my husband called us over to a Lab-pittie mix that was a year and half old. I could tell he was smitten. The wonderful lady that was so patient with us immediately was gushing about Windigo. She told us he had a kind soul and just needed a chance. He was suffering from what I call kennel depression and did not show well. Also, he was a black pittie mix—another strike against him. The staff liked him so much they routinely took him out and let him lie down with them in the office during the day to help ease his depression.

So at this point, I was falling for him. His eyes spoke volumes about him, so we decided to take him for a walk. Ohhh boy, disaster! This poor boy had never been on a leash, and with the fact we were paying attention to him, he was beside himself. He was pulling, jumping, and all over us—basically the crazy dog. The kids were not sure now, and I was wondering myself.... But my husband stood strong—this was the one. We came back in and described his behaviour, so the staff said just wait and see what he's really like; he will calm down. So after about 45 minutes of petting and showering him with affection, he laid down on his mat and let the kids love him to bits very calmly.

So after an hour-and-a-half visit and the help of the wonderful and understanding staff at the SPCA, we came home with Windigo. We have never regretted it. He still needed some manners but he's almost there. I recently became ill and have been off work for awhile, and this bundle of activity has become my cuddle-bug when I have bad days and need lots of bed rest. Being true to his two breeds, he loves his people and shows no aggression towards people or other animals. I will be enrolling him in some training and perhaps in time I would like to see if he can be a therapy dog; he certainly has the temperament for it.

So the next generation of caring for animals in need has started; my daughter scans the adoption sites regularly, and she bakes homemade dog biscuits all year round to raise money for various animal charities. She's happy, and her clients are happy, as well as Windigo—he gets the scraps and misshaped cookies. And best of all, she is helping make things better in her small way.

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If you adopted a pet from a shelter or rescue group and you'd like to share his or her story, please email me. I'd love to hear from you! Also, you can now follow my blog with Bloglovin.