On February 4, 2024, this beautiful young Standard Poodle ended up in the BC SPCA Kelowna Community Animal Centre nervous, fearful and undersocialized, with clogged ears, parasites and a large, infected abscess on his neck. He had been adopted from a puppy mill by a family who kept him for eight days before bringing him to the BC SPCA because they couldn’t manage his behaviour or his medical care.
Ten-month-old Georgie went directly into foster while his health and trust were restored and he awaited neutering. With a clean bill of health, Georgie started his new life in a wonderful home with a canine buddy to boot. His family wrote to share an update:
“My wife and I had been keeping an eye out for any poodles in need of adoption for a while. My wife has serious health issues that prevent us from adopting a dog of an unknown or uncertain breed.
That’s why when we decided we could have a dog again we purchased our poodle, Ralphie, from a reputable breeder 30 months ago. But now that he is settled into our household, we felt we could manage another rescue poodle should one come to our attention that we could help out.
We found Georgie posted on the BC SPCA adoption page, read about his background, and contacted the folks in Kelowna. A couple of days later we made the trip up from OK Falls with Ralphie to see if he would work out with us. It was important for us to see if Georgie would get along with Ralphie.
Ralphie is a special dog. He gets along well with other dogs, is loving and tolerant and unselfish and loves to play, along with having boundless energy. We have the luxury of being able to spoil him with lots of focused attention (we’re retired) and have been so successful with positive reinforcement training methods. We couldn’t jeopardize his environment with a new dog that couldn’t get along with him.
When Georgie was brought out to meet with us, his tail came up and the two dogs were very friendly right off the top. Ralphie was his usual tolerant self and Georgie, although very, very fearful, seemed to react very well to us. So, to my wife’s surprise, we brought Georgie home with us immediately (I had anticipated this might happen and had brought an extra harness and seatbelt for him).
We introduced Georgie to our household calmly, lovingly and with patience and he has been a lovely addition to our family. He and Ralphie have become best friends and brothers.
Ralphie has been such a help in providing support and building Georgie’s confidence. Every day, Georgie becomes more self-confident and settled. His joy in being in a loving and secure home was obvious within hours of arrival.
Georgie’s progress is amazing! He is a sweet dog, easy to groom and handle (we have a grooming table set up and they both get their coats and teeth brushed daily–I did mention they get spoiled, lol) and has fallen right into the routine. He walks well on leash, is friendly with other dogs and people and all he needs is the occasional glance to Ralphie or me for reassurance and he takes most encounters easily. Considering that we meet with traffic, deer and sheep on a daily basis, he just manages it all easily.
Georgie has no experience with anything. He nearly fell down the stairs the first time and it didn’t really sink in with me that he knew nothing about anything other than the backyard pen he was apparently kept in. TV scared the heck out of him.
We couldn’t be happier with having Georgie in our family. He has exceeded our expectations in adjusting to his new home and overcoming his fears. We love him to pieces.”
What a lucky turn of events for sweet Georgie that he ended up with you. Ralphie has obviously been a big part of your family’s efforts to help Georgie become a true family member. We couldn’t be happier for all of you.
Thank you for choosing to adopt this special addition to your family.
Have you adopted an animal from the BC SPCA and want to share your joy with others? Submit your adoption story!
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