Ariana!
I do enjoy photographing and learning about the dogs that I meet when I go on my nature forays. My own true love is my rescue pup Ariana, or affectionately known as Ri.
I need to preface this story to say that in my childhood, my family always had dogs, but most of my adult life, into my marriage, I was a cat person. My ex husband was a cat magnet and we always had multiple. When we decided to part ways, I thought I would like to have a dog, as a companion and guardian. I adopted Gyrllie from the Sarnia Humane Society in 2010, then a year later I adopted Bailey from Lobos animal shelter. They were wonderful dogs and we would go on at least 2 walks per day and the dog park, etc. Gyrllie was attacked at the dog park once and she became traumatized and dog reactive. We continued our walks but avoided the dog park. Gyrllie passed away from a spleenic mass at the age of 11 and Bailey a year later at the age of 13 from cancer.
My heart was broken and I swore I couldn't love a dog like I did these two. I wanted to wait at least a year before I adopted another, but it was 3 months when I saw Ariana on Lobo's website. I fell in love with her sweet face and her story. She was part of a bonded pair, her and her daughter Rosie, but the shelter chose not to adopt them together as Ariana was quite domineering over her daughter, so I adopted Ariana alone. Another woman adopted Rosie and she seems happy, we have been in touch.
Other than dog love and companionship and all that having a dog in your life entails, I really missed the daily walks. I found I was getting irritable and wanted more than a daily gym visit. So the need for a dog was apparent. I adopted Ariana April 1, 2023!
Ri was pulled from her home with her daughter because of neglect. She hadn't been given the proper stimulation, walks, exposure to other dogs and people, that you need to do to make a well socialized dog. I discovered quite quickly that she was dog reactive and she was kid reactive as well, which I had never dealt with before. Walking was definitely a challenge at first. I got a very good dog trainer and he taught me alot about her, and myself! We have many many improvements,, but I still am very careful about other dogs and would not feel comfortable walking her on trails. That being said, my forays are only day trips, I cannot do overnights, until I find a reliable dog sitter that I can trust. Which is fine, I like sleeping in my own bed at night anyways.
She seems to really enjoy her walks, she is very energetic and loves to run. Even though she is short in stature (she is part Corgi and part Husky) she is quite chunky and we both walk to try and keep fit!
When I see these dogs on the trail I respect and honour the training and commitment the owners have to training their dogs to be good dog citizens!
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