Our pets play a more vital role in our lives than they will ever know. They inspire us to live life to the fullest.
This is especially true for Barbara and her husband, who adopted sweet Irish, an Irish Setter, from the BC SPCA Abbotsford Branch in November 2019.
In the past year since her adoption, Irish has encouraged her new guardians to get out the house and enjoy the beauty of nature.
We have received an update from Barbara, who couldn’t be more pleased with their new furry friend:
This month marks the one-year happy anniversary of our union with our rescue dog, Irish.
We acquired Irish from the BC SPCA Abbotsford Branch as a senior dog although we are not quite sure of her birthday or age. She has grey hair on her muzzle and her front teeth are missing, but her disposition is that of a puppy.
Sometimes Irish looks goofy and sometimes she looks regal. Irish has a terrific nose and loves to smell flowers, dogs’ scents and whatever is cooking in the kitchen.
As a rescue dog, Irish had some issues that we have worked on together over the past year. Resource guarding and reactivity are now minimal occurrences. What made the biggest difference was gaining her trust and love.
We also want to give a big shout out to the dog training school we attended. They showed us how to redirect energy and reward desired behaviour.
Irish has successfully graduated from her first social meeting with a robot dog, then a Chihuahua and she is now greeting on- and off-leash dogs in our local community parks. She just needed to secure the experience of calm meet and greets. Way to go, Irish!
Irish has given my husband and me a reason to get out twice daily for senior power walks. Rain or shine or drizzle—no matter what—every day for a year.
I have become so much better acquainted with all of our local beautiful parks as well as our lovely local dogs and their owners.
We have also been camping with Irish and discovered she loves water. She enjoys wading into streams, watching salmon leap and chasing waves endlessly. Although Irish does not play ball or fetch or connect with toys, she always finds something in nature to inspire her.
Irish has been a welcome addition to our family. I recommend considering a senior dog to anyone looking for a loyal companion. Thank you enormously, BC SPCA.
Thank you to you both, Barbara, for adopting senior sweetheart, Irish. We hope your story inspires others to consider adopting animals to live out their golden years in a loving home. We are thrilled to hear about the positive impact she has had on your lives and the lovely memories you have made together so far.
Have you adopted an animal from the BC SPCA and want to share your joy with others? Submit your adoption story!
