Spice, 12 Years Old, Finally Her Own Home
After meeting Spice and her sister Cinnamon in 2010, Spice has gone to her 'princess home' with one of our trusted adopters, Kathy Mongaraz. We all cried with Kathy when she shared that her former AVNM adopted dog, 'Big Larry,' named 'Ari' by she and her husband, had died. After losing her beloved husband just a few months ago, the loss of sweet Ari was more than Kathy could bear. She called me, wanting to know if we had any calm, mature dogs looking for a new mommy.
Everyone at Animal Village NM had the same thought..."Spice!" But we know that God always has a bigger plan than we do, and I had to remind everyone, myself included, that it would be up to Kathy, as to who she felt 'that connection' with. When Kathy came to meet the dogs we thought would be suitable, we thought it would be Spice- they had really seemed to connect. But it took an hour before we heard from Kathy. "I think Spice is the right dog for me, and I would like to adopt her. What's next?"
What was next was that we needed to introduce Spicy Girl to her new home, and neighborhood. Simone Christoph, our wonderful volunteer trainer / behaviorist, scheduled a time to bring Spice to her new home, and do, "the pack walk", with Kathy around the neighborhood.
It was heartwarming to see Spice in her new home and yard. So many new smells! And after being shot at regularly by children with BB guns on the reservation, and then being used to our beautiful park with caregivers at her side, Spicy didn't know what to think. As happy as I was for her, I felt her stress and confusion, as she kept looking at me, and coming back to my side. She liked Kathy, but she has known me for almost 8 years, and our caregivers and her kennel have been her only comfort in a life full of fear, pain and starvation.
Today, 2 weeks after her adoption, Kathy reports that Spice follows her around like a puppy, but still shies initially away from her pats. When she brought her to the veterinarian for a wellness visit, Kathy was a proud mama. "She was an angel, even though other big dogs were acting up, Grace was so calm, and she let everyone pet her. I was really proud of her. This is going to work out fine. we're two old ladies who need each other, and I love her."
Yes, Spice not only has a new home, and a new mommy, she has a new name. "Grace is the name I've chosen for her, because that is who she is. She had a hard life, but not only did she survive, but she came through it all still willing to learn to trust, with grace in everything she does."
Grace has not had a single accident in her new home. We told Kathy that she was beautifully house-trained, and while there was some 'throw up stress' the first day, Grace has been perfect about using the backyard to potty.
That's grace, also.
We Don't Do This Work for Donations.
We Need Your Donations to do this Work.
Please donate today, to allow us to keep our doors open to deserving, loving dogs like Spice, and the 60 dogs and cats waiting now for homes at Animal Village NM. A one-time or monthly donation is easy to make, using the donate button at AnimalVillageNM.org.
