| Meet Sloane |
Rebecca and her boyfriend Paul had been looking for a dog to adopt for several months. Then they went on vacation and saw Sloane on a local rescue group's website. "She stood out because she had come in on the Fourth of July with her brother," says Rebecca. The brother had a broken hip and, while Rebecca and Paul didn't feel they could adequately care for a dog with a serious health problem, they wanted to help in some way. "It seemed that they had a rough start to life," says Rebecca of the two puppies.They decided to adopt Sloane.
But so did someone else.
"By the time we arrived home and contacted the rescue," Rebecca explains, "Sloane had already been adopted and was no longer listed on the site." Determined to become pet parents, Sloane and Paul decided to call about another dog instead. "When we called to inquire about the second dog, we were told she was adopted."
"There was no doubt from
the minute we saw her,"
remembers Rebecca, "she was our dog!"
A match made at McDonald's
Then, while Rebecca was on the phone with the rescue group, she noticed something. Sloane was back on the website. "I was told that she had been adopted, but the family that adopted her had decided that they weren't ready for a puppy." The rescue group wanted to place Sloane in a new home as soon as possible. After being assured that Sloane was "very calm and loving" - and a few hurried phone calls to Paul - Rebecca says they agreed that "she was the dog for us." They met a representative from the rescue group at a McDonald's parking lot and were introduced to Sloane for the first time. There was no doubt from the minute we saw her," remembers Rebecca, "she was our dog!"
Sloane the Sumo Dog
The first family to adopt Sloane didn't let her on the furniture, but, Rebecca says, "because we're big pushovers, we let her sleep on the couch and love seat. She loved it."
But she didn't always have an easy time getting onto the furniture. "When we went to pick Sloane up after she was spayed," Rebecca recalls, "they said that they had to wrap a bandage around her because she had been bleeding a little. It was nothing serious, but they wanted to cover it. We expected a small dressing, but they brought Sloane out and she not only had the typical cone around her head, her entire bottom was wrapped in bright pink gauze. She looked like she had a sumo wrestler's costume on." They carried her to the car and brought her home.
"We took her inside and she started to walk by the couch," Rebecca continues. "Because of the cone, it took a little more room to clear the couch than she was used to. However, she didn't realize this. Sloane started to walk, but the cone caught on the couch. Her legs kept walking, but her body didn't move. She stopped, looked up at us, and kept trying. The look on her face was one of pure confusion. She just couldn't understand why she wasn't moving."
Queen Sloane Gets a New Throne
Since Sloane "wasn't a chewer," Rebecca and Paul decided to buy new living room furniture about five months after adopting her. "The day that they came to deliver the furniture," Rebecca says, "I went for a walk with her so that they could take the old furniture away and set up the new stuff. Sloane and I walked around the corner just in time for her to see the two movers carrying the couch, her couch, out to the truck. She stopped dead in her tracks and sat and watched while they ripped the back off the couch and then threw it in the truck.
"She dragged me to the patio door and
pressed her nose against the window to
watch as they took the love seat out. She
gave the saddest whine I had ever heard."
At one point she even whined a little. She then dragged me to the patio door and pressed her nose against the window to watch as they took the love seat out. She gave the saddest whine I had ever heard. I think she was relieved when she came in the living room to see that there was furniture there. However, it still took a few days before she warmed up to the new furniture."
Sloane did warm up to the new furniture - and everything else in Rebecca and Paul's home. "Sloane totally rules the house," says Rebecca. "She sleeps on furniture, can go in any room she wants. She sleeps on the bed with us at night, even cuddling under the covers when it is cold.
"We've been putting a blanket she likes
to sleep on in the dryer at night so it is
warm for her. She has us trained well!"
She'll actually go up to the top of the bed and paw at the blankets to get under them. Lately, my boyfriend has been putting a blanket she likes to sleep on in the dryer at night so it is warm for her. She has us trained well!"
A Creature of Habit
"Sloane lives her life by routine," continues Rebecca. "At precisely 7:30, she gets a burst of energy. She has a set route that she walks every day. By 8:00, she is asleep. During the day, while we are at work, she sleeps on the chair, the sofa, or the bed. When we get home, she wakes up and we go on a walk. She eats at 6:00 and then we play with her toys. All of her toys are in a basket in the living room. When she wants to play, she will walk over to the basket and nose through them until she finds the one she wants. By 8:00, she is getting drowsy. At precisely 9:30 each night, she whines to go to bed. Her favorite time of the day is bedtime."
A Nose - and an Ear - For Cheese
Sloane has sharp senses. "We live in a condo and don't have a backyard for Sloane to run in," says Rebecca. "We try to take her to local forest preserves for walks. She loves to explore new places. She remembers the preserves we go to and when she is in the car and goes by one, she whines.
And Sloane has more than good eyes. "Sloane can hear American cheese being opened anywhere in the house," says Rebecca. "The minute she hears it she runs to the kitchen to get some."
Sloane and BLUE
"Sloane loves Blue Buffalo," declares Rebecca. "When we first got her, we researched what food would be the best to give her. Given her rough start in life, we wanted to make sure she was getting the best possible food with the best nutrition. Blue Buffalo was it. We found out about a year ago that she has a food allergy to chicken, so she eats the lamb and rice formula now. Blue Buffalo is the only food she has ever eaten. She doesn't get people food unless it's cheese occasionally. We love the fact that Blue Buffalo gives Sloane energy and keeps her healthy."
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