In the spring of 2002 I went to the Toronto Humane Society to adopt a dog. I had researched some of the available dogs and went well prepared with a list of those I was interested in. When I arrived, many of those I had read about on the website had already found new homes, and others turned out not to be appropriate for me. As I walked up and down the rows feeling rather disappointed but still aware that there were many dogs there that were in need of homes, I came across Chola. She was listed as an eight year old Rhodesian Ridgeback Pitbull mix, not an animal that was likely to be quickly adopted. There was something in her eyes that drew me to her and I asked to take her for a walk. On our walk she was clearly happy to be out and about, but she showed very little interest in me. I returned her to her kennel and told the staff member who was helping me that I’d have to think about it as I didn’t seem to be what Chola was looking for. As I turned to walk away from her kennel she was sitting there looking dejected and quivering from head to toe. It seemed that in retrospect Chola had changed her mind and decided that I might not be so bad after all. It was closing time then, so I went home to think about how to proceed. I couldn’t get her face out of my mind and was heartbroken every time I thought of her quivering in her kennel. I went back first thing the next morning and filled out the paperwork that would bring Chola and I together.
The first few months were a challenge as Chola and I vied for alpha status and she demonstrated signs of separation anxiety. It wasn’t long, however, before we learned our respective roles in the relationship and enjoyed weekends playing in the park and evenings curled up together in front of the fireplace. Before long, we moved from Toronto back to my hometown of Vancouver where we’ve lived ever since. She went through a slight name modification to Choey when I discovered that Chola had negative implications in Spanish. Over the past four years Choey has developed a circle of friends, both human and animal and has become a wonderful pet. I look forward to coming home to her at the end of the day, and while she is now in her golden years she still loves to play like a puppy, loves to cuddle and is always on the lookout for a treat.
Whenever I think about that fateful day at the [Toronto] Humane Society, I am so grateful to her for letting me know how she felt and for bringing us together in what has become a wonderful relationship.
Thank you so much for making this possible, I can’t imagine my life without her
Carolyn.
