Adoption Stories

In September 2020, I rescued Penelope (now Cali) and it was the best decision I ever made. Melissa, the founder/owner, was extremely transparent with me telling me that Penelope was not going to be a typical golden retriever. Penelope was very aggressive/reactive to touch and was very dog selective (none of which is her fault). I still stubbornly insisted that I was ready to be the hero Penelope needed.

Within the first few minutes of having Penelope at my home, I could already tell she was attached, whining at the door as I left to go back to my car to carry in more of her belongings (I actually ended up taking her with me to get them… those puppy dog eyes). It took several days of not crossing her boundaries; I did not touch her unless I was putting on or removing her harness. I would give her treats if she decided to lay near me. I would take her for long walks because I knew she loved them. It didn’t take long before she was impatiently insisting I drop everything and pet her on her terms. Within a week, Penelope was sleeping right beside me each night and waking me up with cuddles each morning.

Fast forward a few months and Penelope had a new family member join the household, my partner Brett… and her soon to be obsession. Penelope and Brett had a rough start. Penelope was fearful of him even though all he wanted to do was love her (a similar story to those who previously tried to adopt her). After a lot of patience, work, and boundary respecting, these two are seriously two peas and a pod. I won’t say their relationship is perfect by any means, but they love each other unconditionally and that’s all that matters.

A little over a year after adopting Cali, we decided we wanted to adopt another dog. We were very cautious of doing this as Penelope is dog selective, however, her brother, Cai, has been the perfect addition to the family. He perfectly balances her out (submissive, cuddly, has literally no boundaries) and I think she loves her little brother though she’d never admit it.

Penelope (now Cali) is a very special girl. It has not been “easy” but she is irreplaceable and I don’t know what I’d do without her. Thank you Melissa and The Big Dog House volunteers who took a chance on her in 2020. She deserved a second chance and she is truly living her best life <3

If you are in a place to do so, please consider adopting.

-Anna, Brett, Cali & Cai (December 2021)