My Nonprofit Reviews

First, we’d like to sincerely thank Caring Hearts Rescue and Missy’s foster mom, Sabina Poinelli, for rescuing Missy and providing so much support and advice while Missy and her hu-parents-to-be figured out our relationship. As is true for so many rescues, Missy had a few behavioral quirks that we needed help working through. The transition to a forever home would have been much more difficult without Sabina’s expert advice and support.

The First Weeks Are Like A Flower Blooming
They say it takes a few weeks to reveal a dog’s real personality. That’s certainly true for Missy. When we first met her, she was very restrained and maybe a bit insecure about her surroundings. She didn’t vocalize; she would often just sit and stare at my wife and I or join us on the sofa and quickly fall asleep – a perfect little lap dog. Not so much anymore. In the beginning, Missy was just trying to figure us and the relationship out. Now, Missy has blossomed into a very secure, playful, and active dog who is comfortable wandering through the yard, sniffing at the scents deer and other critters have left behind, or running through the house, playing hide and seek among the furniture, or snuggling up on a lap and taking a nap.

The Great Outdoors and Housebreaking
At first, the outdoors or any large open spaces seemed to intimidate Missy. She would freeze and want to go to a smaller, more confined space. Sabina suggested we use a small X-enclosure outside to give her a sense of intimacy and (literally) fence out the great outdoors. Using treats, we would bribe Missy out to her little pen where she (apparently) felt safe and would go potty. It took her about ten days before she pushed the gate open and decided to sniff around in the yard. Now she’ll come to me, bark once, and when I ask her what she wants, she runs to the laundry room and stares at the door -- telling me she wants to go out. Now Missy will regularly ask to go out to potty or just to sniff around and check out what’s happened in “her” yard.

Missy and Her Forever Home

First, we’d like to sincerely thank Caring Hearts Rescue and Missy’s foster mom, Sabina Poinelli, for rescuing Missy and providing so much support and advice while Missy and her hu-parents-to-be figured out our relationship. As is true for so many rescues, Missy had a few behavioral quirks that we needed help working through. The transition to a forever home would have been much more difficult without Sabina’s expert advice and support.

The First Weeks Are Like A Flower Blooming
They say it takes a few weeks to reveal a dog’s real personality. That’s certainly true for Missy. When we first met her, she was very restrained and maybe a bit insecure about her surroundings. She didn’t vocalize; she would often just sit and stare at my wife and I or join us on the sofa and quickly fall asleep – a perfect little lap dog. Not so much anymore. In the beginning, Missy was just trying to figure us and the relationship out. Now, Missy has blossomed into a very secure, playful, and active dog who is comfortable wandering through the yard, sniffing at the scents deer and other critters have left behind, or running through the house, playing hide and seek among the furniture, or snuggling up on a lap and taking a nap.

The Great Outdoors and Housebreaking
At first, the outdoors or any large open spaces seemed to intimidate Missy. She would freeze and want to go to a smaller, more confined space. Sabina suggested we use a small X-enclosure outside to give her a sense of intimacy and (literally) fence out the great outdoors. Using treats, we would bribe Missy out to her little pen where she (apparently) felt safe and would go potty. It took her about ten days before she pushed the gate open and decided to sniff around in the yard. Now she’ll come to me, bark once, and when I ask her what she wants, she runs to the laundry room and stares at the door -- telling me she wants to go out. Now Missy will regularly ask to go out to potty or just to sniff around and check out what’s happened in “her” yard.

Toys and Play
In her first week with us, we went to Pet Supplies Plus and bought Missy a variety of toys – some small, some medium, a few plush, and a couple of latex squeakers. Missy ignored them all, barely giving them a sniff before walking past them. We tried different toys, we tried tossing and rolling the toys in front of her; nothing piqued her interest. Then one day she ran into my office and barked at me. When I stood up to take her out, she ran to her toys, picked one up, and waited for me to follow. We’ve been playing chase, fetch, and tug-of-war two to four times a day ever since. Sometimes I catch her with one of her toys throwing it up in the air and trying to catch it!

My Home Care Companion
I’ve been recovering from major surgery since October and Missy has been better than any home care provider. I must sleep sitting up, so I sleep in the recliner at night. First thing in the morning, Missy runs downstairs to my recliner and gently puts a paw on my foot. Once she knows I’m awake, she runs to my shoes (the next step to going out), and when I have my shoes on, she then runs to the laundry room door. All through the day she “reminds” me that I need to move around – as I fix her meals, take her for walks – and she even joins in with my physical therapy. I don’t know if Missy’s therapy is doctor-approved, but I believe my shoulder has improved with all the toy tossing and tug-of-war we’ve been playing.

I could keep writing about how much joy Missy has brought into our lives – every day she does something that makes us break out laughing. We are so thankful to have found Missy – and we’re sure Missy is happy in her forever home. Thanks again, Sabina and Caring Hearts Rescue!