Shadow hasn’t had the easiest life that a four legged friend could have. She was abandoned in a park while she was still a puppy, had a non-cancerous growth on her head that Toronto Humane Society staff had to remove surgically, and spent roughly 6 months under their care before we adopted her on May 4th 2024. Sadly, there are still more examples of her hardships, but this is a blog post not a novel (and it is already on the long side). Her transition to her forever home wasn’t the easiest either. When we first got Shadow, she was underdeveloped mentally. In Toronto Humane Society, she was known as Phyllis, the fully grown dog with the demeanour of a puppy; a combination that is difficult to cope with at the best of times. Just ask what’s left of our couch cushions.

Honestly, the idea of rehoming Shadow did cross our minds a few times in the past year; however, what always stopped us was Shadow’s willingness to learn and improve. She wasn’t bad by nature, we realized that she’s basically a scared and anxious puppy in desperate need of space to decompress. Once she was willing to communicate with us, and understand when she screwed up, we saw her learn new skills and strive to be a reliable member of her new pack. When she understood she screwed up, she would apologize with hand kisses (not something we ever taught her). When she finally worked out why she screwed up, she would improve. I can’t tell you how she managed that, only that we saw the results of her hard work this past year.

One year later, Shadow has completely secured her forever home. Not just from the goodwill of our family, but with her own determination to be a better four legged friend. Her playful attitude brings us joy, her affection brings us warmth, and her intelligence lets her improve a little each day. Shadow truly is now and forever a member of our family, and to all her friends at Toronto Humane Society, she wants you to know that she is living every day to her fullest. Her hard-earned success is truly her happiest tale.