The last thing Nicole Marie Wasieleski planned to do was adopt another dog from the Animal Rescue Team of Iowa, the shelter where she volunteers her time. But when an older pup all alone in the kennel caught her eye earlier this month, Wasieleski could not get the pup’s face out of her mind.
“When I saw her in the shelter, I thought she looked like a sweet old wolf and wanted to meet her,” Wasieleski told The Dodo. “She was so quiet and gentle.”
At 10-years-old, Kairi had been through quite an ordeal during her later years. She lost her last family suddenly, and despite finally finding her forever home with Wasieleski, Kairi had a difficult time adjusting to all the change.
Then one day Wasieleski came up with a brilliant idea. She wanted to treat the dog to something she could call her very own, something that will help her feel safe and secure.
So she and Kairi took a special trip to the pet store. Once there, the older dog was allowed to choose a toy of her very own. And Kairi knew exactly what she wanted.
“She picked out this funny pink dinosaur and we were laughing about it and kept trying to hand her more normal toys,” Wasieleski said. “She ignored them and carried the dinosaur all the way around the store and to the register.”
“Dino” the dinosaur may only be $17 worth of blue and pink stuff fabric, but for Kairi (who won’t let it out of her sight) it is a priceless treasure.
“Ever since then, she’s been carrying it around, playing with it and snuggling it,” Wasieleski said. “She will let my other dogs play tug-of-war with it, but they know they can’t shred it like they shred all other toys.”
Kairi suffers from severe separation anxiety, and she tells her new parents that she’s not pleased when they leave by chewing up the carpets. To help the pup feel more secure, Kairi is beginning crate training, and it was there where Dino proved to be much more than just a chew toy.
“We were so worried because she would bark and scratch the kennel and we didn’t want her to get hurt,” Wasieleski said. “When Dino is in with her she is silent!”
Kairi is slowly starting to adjust to her new home and will often place one of her big gray paws on her mom’s arm, in a display of affection for giving her a second chance.
“We actually can’t believe how much energy she has left for her age,” Wasieleski said. “She will wrestle with my other 2-year-old dogs and then want to rest and snuggle with her people or her dinosaur.”
Though Kairi is becoming more independent, her family still has a backup plan just in case Dino goes missing one day.
“My dad already went back to the store to get her another dinosaur,” Wasieleski said. “In case anything happens to this one.”
Thank goodness for kindhearted people like Nicole who saw a lonely older dog and gave her the loving home she so richly deserves.
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