We adopted a Texas transfer dog in 2019 with help from the knowledgeable front desk staff. We had very specific needs for a therapy dog for one son who suffers from chronic depression, while knowing full-well that this would be a difficult transition for one of the family members, his sister, who had a traumatic experience in early childhood with a dog attack, and was terrified of dogs. We needed a non barker, non jumper. We made multiple visits only to not find the “perfect” dog that would fit not just his needs, but the needs of his sister to have a quiet peaceful marshmallow dog that we could introduce very gradually into our family life. Someone at the front desk told us you had just received Calene from Lockhart, Texas, and that we should be first in line at the door the next morning to meet her. It was love at first sight the next morning, and we had a very SLOW introduction once we got Calene home and renamed her Nala, after the Lion King, to increase our daughter’s likelihood of adapting to having a dog in our home (she is a Disney lover). Nala is now 5, four years after her adoption, she is everything we could have hoped for. She is our son’s therapy dog, and he is Nala’s therapy human. Best of all, our daughter who used to be terrified of dogs has grown in leaps and strides. A year into the slow introduction (3 years ago), she started wanting to hold Nala’s leash and take her on walks. Now, she thinks nothing of lying down with the dog for a cuddle, or to have her “shake” to get her dinner. Thanks to a dedicated staff who thought of us right away and let us know the perfect dog had just come in, we were able to meet the needs of everyone in the family. We can’t remember what life was like before Nala! PS: She was the dog featured on your poster for the giving campaign last year. We have nicknamed Nala “Velcro” because she likes to be in personal contact with at least ONE of the 6 humans living under our roof at all times.
