Today was
a day all about new beginnings. I awoke this morning with a feeling somewhat
like Christmas morning. That long awaited, hyped up magic that comes after long
preparation and planning.
It was
finally time for the celebration.
While
this day was about the reunion of our little family unit, I know that this day
would never have been possible without countless other friends and supporters,
and that our little reunion means just as much to you as it does to us. So, in
recognition of that, I will do my best to describe our day as it truly was, as
a dedication to all of you, and the help and support you have provided us in
the past months
We
started the day by weaving our way through a new world of dog suppliers,
stocking up on toys, treats, food and tripe. Asking all the logical questions
you might ask when figuring out a new environment. "Where do you buy raw
food?" "Do you have canned tripe?", "What bed should we
buy?". Luckily, the ladies at the pet store were more than happy to help
the two lost Canadians get their dog set up in a new country. The whole thing
felt like a deja vu, very similar to the whole process we went through when we
first adopted Huff. Again.
We headed up the coast to the town of Levin, located on State Hwy 1. 70km north of Wellington, we found Shado Lans Kennels. The kennel is set in a beautiful backdrop of mountains and rolling green hills and fields. It was on that backdrop that we found Huff asleep in her suite.
The
kennel attendant went into the room first, so I'm sure Huff didn't expect to
see us. It took her a minute to realise exactly who was standing in front of
her. And then.. it was a montage of whining, jumping and tail wagging, best
seen in the video. All my fears that she would forget us vanished and there we
were again, a happy little family.
Short of
needing a good bath and a couple of days rest, Huff is doing fabulous. Trent
and I decided that she looked just as we all do after embarking on a
transcontinental flight: tired, a bit confused, and in need of a shower. The
attendant at the kennel said she is doing really well and, short of giving the
vet the evil eye yesterday, she is settling in nicely. The vet is happy with
all her tests, and at the moment they are not foreseeing any problems.
Her suite
is a pretty cool little setup. It is composed of 2 rooms ( one 8x8 and the
other 10x12), that are divided by a sliding patio door that separates the
indoor and outdoor portions. She has a indoor bed and an outdoor bed, and a
pretty amazing view of the mountains. She has free range in an out of both
rooms all day and night. Withstanding the lack of exercise and lonelines she
will face during her quarantine, I think she be comfortable here for the next
week.
Huff
detected the bag full of toys we brought almost immediately. She proceeded to
dig her head straight in the bag to fish out a 2 squeaky toys, a new nylabone
and her new sesame street blanket. Then she ran around the room celebrating
with each.
We spent
our hour together playing and cuddling. One of the most special moments for
both Trent and I was when she lied down on her bed between the two of us, with
a paw on each of us, and relaxed into an almost sleep. It was that moment after
a long and stressful journey when she realised she was ok and could relax
again. Everything was going to be ok. And an added bonus... it was a whole lot
warmer in this new mysterious place :) It was this moment for me that brought
the tears streaming down my cheeks, and gave me the confirmation that all the
hard work was most certainly worth it.
We left
the kennel and headed home, making a stop for a late lunch in our new home as
of Monday, Paraparaumu. We checked out our new place and took a wander down the
beachfront to discover more gorgeous scenes of mountain, sea and sand, and a
cute little beach side village.
It was quiet and quaint, with the
fresh smell of new beginnings.
For more pics of the reunion check out:
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