Naia's Adoption Story
12:00 PM
Today is my darling fur baby Naia’s one-year adoption anniversary so I wanted to take the time to share
her story. I remember hearing somewhere that millennials are buying houses with yards for their dogs and although I’m not sure if I still qualify as a millennial, this fact was true for me. When we first moved into our home last August with our 6-year-old Pomeranian terrier, we knew we wanted him to have a little sister. So, I made a list: 1) must be short-haired 2) not a chihuahua. I’ve had a lot of chihuahuas growing up, I’m not saying all, and they can be very yappy. We had just moved into a townhome and were in very close proximity with our neighbors. Ares is quite the barker already, so we didn’t want to have a mini Ares in that department. Thus, began the beginning of our “Find Baby Sister” mission.
LA County Animal Shelter – mainly pit bulls and chihuahuas here.
LA County Animal Shelter – we found the most beautiful brown and white Australian Shepard here that I cried about for days. I wanted to badly to adopt her so badly that I requested to be off the morning she was up for adoption. Ultimately, I knew there was no way I would be able to give her the life she deserved. We had a yard but with how big we knew she was going to get, we knew it wouldn’t be a good idea.
Shebarum Park Adoption Fair – met a lot of cute puppies and found one in particular that I was considering. So, I grabbed an application, filled it out and went home. We were told that we’d receive a call if we were selected and well, I never got the call.
San Gabriel Humane Society – I came right when the place opened, and this place already had a long time. I immediately found 4 dogs that I fell in love with. My first pick ended up having owners who were right behind me as I was on FaceTime with my fiancé Jonathan. As sad as I was, I’m really glad she got to go back to her home. Dog #2 reminded me a lot of Ares since they were similar in color, this cutie was just a little smaller and he was a male so unfortunately had to pass on him too. Dog #3 was gone when I made it back to her area and dog #4 was being walked out with another family. I accepted my defeat and headed home. They had the best variety of dogs at this shelter, but I knew that my future fur baby wasn’t here.
Baldwin Park Shelter – this shelter had an indoor/outdoor system so we could see the dogs from inside and outside. The first time I walked past her kennel I had only seen a white shih tzu. Later when I walked outside, I saw a brown and white gorgeous little thing just sitting there. She was calm, her tail was not wagging and with a little smirk on her face. She completely ignored me and paid no mind to me at all. I went back inside to read her card, it said that she brought in that same morning and wouldn’t be eligible for adoption until another few days. In California, the shelter holding period is 2-7 days. This time allows the owners time to claim their lost pets. So, I called every single day for 3 days straight. On the 3rd day the shelter told me that I was first in line to adopt her and that the would get her spayed in preparation for adoption. At this point, I have not interacted with her 1:1 out of her kennel but I already I knew she was the one.
Her name before she was Naia. Who could this gorgeous thing go?
Look at all that sass. I knew I had to have her.
Adoption Day
The next time I saw her was the day of her adoption. I drove up to the shelter, filled out all the paperwork, paid for her license and adoption fee and waited at the on-site veterinarian office for her to wake up. She was still groggy from the medication when she was given to me, so I still wasn’t sure how she was at 100% yet I was already so in love. I drove home to Jonathan who also got to meet her for the first time. We took a short drive to the pet store to buy her a cone (to protect her from biting of the stitches from her spaying). By law, all dogs that get adopted must be spayed or neutered.
Video of her after her procedure and the vet letting me take her home.
This was in the car ride on the way to the pet store to pick up her collar.
It took 2 months, 1 adoption fair, 4 animal shelters and 53 dogs later, but we finally found her! The rollercoaster of emotions was all worth it in the end. We took our time and found the perfect addition to our little family. Now remember my list from earlier: 1) must be short-haired 2) not a chihuahua? Well, the shelter says she is a mixed terrier but to me she looks like she may be mixed with a long-haired chihuahua. I got everything I thought I didn’t want. Life is funny and beautiful sometimes, but I wouldn’t change anything about it. We’re so lucky to have her and I know she’s not here to speak for herself but if she could, I hope she feels the same.
Naia in her cone of shame, healing after getting spayed. She always fought the drowsiness from her medicine. I always felt like she was afraid to fall asleep because she was afraid we'd leave her. This always broke my heart. She is such a cuddle monster and loves being snuggled.
One of the first photos I took of her after she was all healed. Her energy changed completely and she turned into a hyper-active, happy baby.
Meeting Ares
I've heard so many things about not introducing 2 dogs at the home but in a public space instead. This is to protect both dogs from claiming dominance and to be in a more relaxed state of mind. Naia was already so drowsy and we knew it was best to just bring her home to rest. When we walked in Ares was all over her trying to sniff this new little fur ball. With the last bit of her energy, she let out a little growl and we decided it was best to just keep them separated during her healing period.
I've heard so many things about not introducing 2 dogs at the home but in a public space instead. This is to protect both dogs from claiming dominance and to be in a more relaxed state of mind. Naia was already so drowsy and we knew it was best to just bring her home to rest. When we walked in Ares was all over her trying to sniff this new little fur ball. With the last bit of her energy, she let out a little growl and we decided it was best to just keep them separated during her healing period.
We were very lucky. Ares took her immediately and loved grew a bond instantly. He looks at her like a little sister and always lets her have her way. He's firm when he has to be but he's a big softy when it comes to his litter sister. He'll always give her the toys or the bigger bed. We couldn't ask for a better big brother.
To add to that, she developed kennel cough (canine infectious tracheobronchitis) which is a respiratory disease that causes dogs to, well, cough. It reminds me of the whopping cough. This is huge problem in the animal shelter system as there are so many dogs in close contact. Kennel cough is also extremely contagious and unfortunately for us, Ares also caught it from her. The cough alone gave me anxiety. Watching your babies hack up their lungs without being able to do anything to help them was so hard to see. We tried to massage their throats, pet their backs and did everything we could do to make them comfortable, but we couldn’t take watching them go through it anymore, so we went to see a vet and the gave us some meds to feed the dogs. I’m not sure if the meds really helped but we went through roughly 4-5 weeks of the dogs like this. Thankfully, it eventually went away.
Her first visit to the pet due to kennel cough. It was so hard watching her go through this.
My favorite girl in the world.
I can't believe how tiny she used to be. The animal shelter said she was under a year old. She was so thin and her hair was so short.
One of the best decisions of my life was bringing this baby home to her furever family.
Naia in a nutshell. She's such a goofy girl but we adore her.
Puppy Love
Growing up, my family has always taken in stays along with dogs from
family and friends, but this was our first time adopting from a shelter. There
are 3 dogs that I have a super special bond with: my first dog Kora (Boston Terrier),
Sasha (shih tzu) and Naia (terrier mix, we think). I don’t know what it is but Naia
has been the most loving and affectionate dog I have ever had (and I’ve had
over 12). Ares is very independent and doesn’t love being smothered. Naia on
the other hand loves all the snuggles and all the hugs and kisses. There’s this
thing people say about shelter dogs “knowing” that they were saved and so their
appreciate level is much higher. I mean, I can’t prove it or anything, but I
can tell you what I feel when I look into that little girl’s eyes and I know
she loves me right back. I may have "rescued" her from the animal shelter, but she constantly rescues me.
She's been such a blessing. If you're thinking about getting a new pet, I urge you to adopt. Make a difference. Adopt, don’t shop. Rescue pets are the absolute
best.
If you have an adoption story you’d like to share, I’d love to here it, just comment below.
If you have an adoption story you’d like to share, I’d love to here it, just comment below.
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