POPPY

Intake Date – 10/12/2004
Adoption Date – 5/22/2009

Short Story
Dear Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary,
It was a year’s journey for me (Kris) to receive any type of dog though I was not sure of who would be the right dog for me. I was torn between a Shetland Sheepdog and a Corgi whether it be a Pembroke or Cardigan–both are adorable. We had a Sheltie who was put down two years ago and when I was ready for another dog, Denver said we needed to get a house first so we got our house this past October. I asked for a dog once again and Denver stated we needed to pay off a bill so I told him it would be paid off in late May early June. Needless to say, I’ve been hopping on-line and checking out rescues for Corgi’s and Shelties this whole time wishing, praying and thinking.

I remembered seeing an advertisement for Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary when we went to see a movie which we see many movies so I cannot tell you which movie showed the advertisement. I went to the website and looked through the dogs and found a Corgi/Sheltie mix named Poppy! I fell in love with him when I read his background story and so did Denver. I was not sure if Poppy would be a good match for us or not so I picked out four other dogs who could possibly be matches for us when I filled out the application. A few days later Mackenzie’s called and I received an interview from Kristi over the phone to meet three of the five dogs I picked out which Poppy was one of the three. We were very excited for our visit with the dogs.

I admit I wear my heart on my sleeve and when Kristi brought in Poppy for us to meet and play with for a little bit, she said my eyes lit up. Poppy greeted us with kisses and wanted to be loved on by us immediately. I knew I wanted Poppy to be our dog right there. We arranged for a second meeting which went as well as the first, he seemed to have remembered us and showered us with attention. We went for our walk and I wanted to take him home with me that same day. Kristi brought Poppy to us the Friday before Memorial Weekend and Poppy would not allow Kristi out of his sight. I needed to keep him busy in the backyard so she could sneak out through the side door. As soon as she left, we went on our first long walk for the afternoon.

Poppy continues to enjoy his long walks in the morning about an hour walk with a shorter walk (closer to 45 minutes) in the evening. Poppy does not leave my side except for when he wants to sleep or rest. He is such a loving and attentive dog and he has found our home to be very loving and playful. I got him many toys and his favorites are his hedgehog and duck which both squeak.

As soon as Denver gets his camera fixed, we will send you pictures of Poppy.

Thank you for caring for Poppy until he found his new home,

Kris and Denver

Poppy’s 1st Week

Mom said Poppy has been wonderful! She said, “Really, he seems to have adopted US.” They haven’t had any issues with him adjusting to the home so far. He’s had no potty accidents, and does very well left alone in his “safe space” gated to the kitchen. Poppy sleeps great at night on his pillow-bed in Mom & Dad’s room, usually plopped on the floor besides Mom’s side of the bed. He really likes lying nearby his new parents, wherever they are at. Mom said he has really taken to them as his new family, and seems like a great fit.

Poppy LOVES his daily walks – they walk for 1 hour in the morning, and 45 minutes every evening!! At home, he is very much a laidback dog. He’s been on two car rides, which he loved, and now whenever he walks by the vehicle he begs to go for a ride! Poppy has two squeaky toys he absolutely loves; they are a Duck and a Hedgehog. So Mom & Poppy play fetch together with those two toys in the yard. Poppy also loves to play ‘chase’ around the yard.

The only minor thing they would like to try working with him on is when he’s looking out the front door, if he sees someone walk by on the sidewalk; he gets very protective of their home territory by barking and growling….. However, Mom said that is expected with his breed and natural protective/herding instincts. They completely understand why he’s doing it, and are used to it from owning a herding-type dog before; but they might call a trainer to see if there are any tips for how to desensitize him to that.

Overall Mom said Poppy is doing SO well, and is just a fabulous dog. They love him, and are somewhat surprised that he didn’t get scooped up by a family sooner! He must have been waiting for their family to come along.

1/7/2010 – Update
We finally were able to pull those pics of Poppy that we took this past Spring/Summer. There are a couple of pics with him and another dog named Klyne (German for "Tiny") who is my best friend’s dog and they get along beautifully. I have found that Poppy seems to get along better with smaller dogs than he does with dogs his own size or bigger. Not that we are planning on getting a playmate for Poppy, I’m not sure he would like another permanent dog though enjoys playing with Klyne when my friend and I get together and chat while to the two dogs are playing together in the backyard. Seeing these pics again remind me of warm summer days with lots of sunshine and playing in the warm grass. I hope you enjoy the pics.