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| Name: |
Sunny
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Age: |
Four and a half years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Dalmatian |
| Home: |
Ontario, Canada |
Te
adopted Sunny in November of 2009. Our beloved Dalmatian had passed on,
and Theo, our black lab. needed a buddy. We also really enjoyed having
*spots before our eyes*. ;-) We located him via
Dalmatian Rescue of South-West Virginia,
and drove the eighteen hours each way it
took to get him. When time came to go, Sunny (well, we hadn't picked out
a name for him yet) happily hopped in our car and lay down. All the way
back, I was trying to think of a name that would suit. What came to me was
a verse from Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he shall
give you the desires of your heart" So I mulled over the word 'delight' --
knowing that this dog was a delight for us, and we were a delight for him
(although that might take a while).
When we got home, I looked up the Greek for the word delight -
'sunedomai', and the name Sunny popped right out. Over the last
year-and-a-half, he has increasingly been living up to the name, and to
the origin of the name. He is increasingly a delight, and his disposition
is increasingly sunny.
The day we arrived home, we were very concerned when Sunny disappeared
almost immediately. He headed southwards, and I think he possibly had it
in mind to return to where he came from. Well, aside from dog-catchers and
traffic, there's also this giant Lake Ontario. But Theo, our black lab,
went running after him, and brought him back. What a loyal friend! Since
then, Sunny has made no attempt to run away. We can trust him completely
to stay on our farm.
Sunny's back story is quite disturbing. His previous master hurt him, but
the veterinarian did an excellent job healing him, and he was fostered
with DRSWV and we found him there.
Even now, Sunny exhibits some neuroses that must date back to his abuse as
a young dog. But one thing happened that simply amazed us. We always
thought his visage was a bit strained or pinched. But when our
veterinarian daughter pointed out he had some infected teeth, and removed
them, the change in his disposition was immediate and dramatic! People,
have your dog's teeth checked periodically!
We've also noticed that his face is more and more relaxed and puppy-like
with the passage of time. A recent photo showed us the difference. He's
also much more ready to snuggle up to you on the furniture.
Sunny has this really cute dance he does when we are about to serve out
his dinner. Our "bird-call" clock plays a Canada goose at 5 o'clock, so
that has become known in our household as "goose o'clock", and nothing
will do but we have to feed Sunny and Theo right then! Sunny dances
backwards towards where the dishes are, and continues to dance while we
dish it up and place it before him. He does a similar thing towards his
bed when we offer his bedtime treat. And when the two dogs "take Daddy to
work" down to my woodshop, he dances until I give him his treat. Think
he's food-motivated? Yup!
He's also a better hunter than I have ever seen in a pet. One day, with
guests on our deck, Sunny spotted a squirrel creeping near, and he ran,
grabbed it, and gave it a quick shake -- ex-squirrel! And the previous
day, he had found one inside our house, and caught it too. He loves to go
for long rambles down through our tree-farm. There are lots of rabbits and
squirrels down there.
The most amazing example of Sunny's hunting prowess was also a
demonstration of his American roots. In Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving
on the second Monday in October, but on American Thanksgiving, he caught
-- and ate -- a wild turkey! We had seen him eating something big, but all
we found was a few feathers near the house. We didn't cook turkey that
day, but he made sure he had turkey just the same.
As with all dals, this one likes his creature comforts. The sofa beside
the wood stove, Daddy's favorite wing chair, and most particularly, the
king-size waterbed.
I hope you enjoy our "delight", Sunny. We do, and we're proud to say he's
at his forever home. There are many dogs out there looking for their
forever homes. Whatever breed you fancy, find one who has been rescued and
love that one forever.
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