Joy of Adoption Story
Clancy FKA Matthew
“The best way I can compare it would be to take you unknowingly to a foreign country where you do not speak the language, without any money or direction and leave you to figure everything out. Most all our dogs are very smart but no one has ever invested the time in them.”
This was the wise and patient advice offered by the folks at Saving Grace, 10 days after we brought our pup home and I was in tears every morning because I didn’t know how this was ever going to work out… Six months ago, I was overwhelmed every day, sure we had made a terrible mistake. 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months later, little by little Clancy improved and we invested lots of time, discipline, love and patience. Today, he’s a huge part of our family, he gives us joy and makes us laugh every single day. We love him, he loves us and that’s what it’s all about.
Clancy is a presumed labradoodle, about a year old when we adopted him. His special talent was jumping—5 ft in the air, up and down like a pogo stick! He chewed everything, loved puppy nipping when at play, had no manners, had a very sensitive stomach and was naughty all the time, but darn, he was cute.
Our 13-year-old dog had passed a couple of months before, and we didn’t know if we were ready yet to adopt, but we were ready to start looking. We visited Saving Grace in November and found this special little guy who had been found stray; unchipped and untrained. At the Saving Grace Farm, he was quiet, docile and knew a couple of commands—sit and shake, so we knew he had some sort of human experience in his past. When we got him home, he transformed into a crazy, wild, uncontrollable devil dog!
Clancy now has been through significant professional training…he’s still got a little devil in him, but he’s just playing. He still jumps five feet high when he is getting his nighttime cookie, or going out for a car ride, but the pogo stick has been curtailed. He loves his weekly group training class, and he needs consistent attention to maintain his behavior limits, but now at home, he is clear on the rules and loves being a lap dog, cuddles and kisses abound.
The folks at Saving Grace were supportive and helpful, as we transitioned together. Their adoption process is very thorough and their mission to save dogs and nurse them back to health is one that we are happy to support.
