Kiki was rescued as a stray, and her past was a mystery. She was significantly underweight and extremely shy. When her new owners, Stephanie, and her husband, saw her photo, they immediately looked her up on the shelter’s website and felt an instant need to meet her. She had been with her foster mom for about nine months without any interest or adoption applications, which was quite sad. When she was finally brought home, the initial days and weeks were tough. She had frequent accidents, and her new owner started to feel a bit discouraged.
They read online about the “3-3-3 rule,” which explains that it takes three days for a dog to adjust to a new home, three weeks to start getting used to the routine, and three months to fully settle in. It indeed took about three months for Kiki to become comfortable, and her quirky personality began to shine.
Kiki has an underbite, making it hard for her to keep her tongue in her mouth, and her bottom teeth are a bit spread out. When she’s really relaxed, her tongue jets out more and more until it just flops out. Stephanie says can pull it, and she wouldn’t care.
Kiki loves routines. When it’s time for a walk, she gets super excited, doing a little tap dance and spinning in circles. She shows the same joy for food. Adopted last April, she has been with her new family for over a year now. Stephanie works from home most of the time, so she always expects her to be around. When Dad isn’t home by a certain time, she looks at the door and then back at Stephanie, wondering when he’ll be back.
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She plays with toys in a funny way, especially her favorite stuffed alpaca. She’ll grab it, rub it on her back against any surface like a couch, and then try to catch it with her back. Kiki has become a source of comfort for Stephanie, especially during tough times.
Even in those early, difficult months, when her owner cried out of frustration, she would come up and rest her head on her lap. She’s such a good girl, and her owner is glad they didn’t give up on her because she truly deserved a loving home.
Toledo, United States.
