Cookie Joins Our Family, by Shiyi Lui

Cookie is an adorable Doodle puppy (6 months to 1 year old) that we adopted from Pets In Need earlier this year. We saw her on the website and fell in love with her right away.

Our other dog, Data, is a 1.5-year-old miniature Aussie/Border Collie mix and we thought, “Our dog will get along really well with this dog.”

Aussie’s always seem to love Doodles (we think they remind them of a sheep or an angora goat with their thick curly coat). Data’s best friend is a Doodle and we felt Data could use a buddy, so we were delighted to bring Cookie home with us.

The first thing we noticed when we got her home was that she wouldn’t walk outside. It terrified her too much. Not a single step. Some dogs are like that until they get comfortable. Cookie didn’t seem to know what was expected of her and as a result was extremely cautious. She’s much better now as she's gained confidence in her new surroundings, and she follows Data’s lead, which is helpful.

Data as the Alpha Dog

Cookie accepted Data as her new buddy and alpha dog right away. When Data walks in front of her, Cookie happily tags along behind. When we try to teach Cookie a command like sit or stay, she “cheats” by looking over to see what Data is doing and then she does the same.

Cookie is very comfortable in her own little world (house, crate, familiar surroundings). But if she’s taken outside, she still seems somewhat anxious.

We were told that she was adopted by another family but returned because she was too nervous and insecure. Since she’s still a puppy, she has lots of energy and we’re helping her learn how to channel that. She’s off her anxiety medication now and she seems to be getting more confident every day ─ learning how to fit into her new family.

Settling In Nicely

Data and Cookie love to play together (which was just what we were hoping). They can share a toy, and they never fight. They will both run to us and give hugs and kisses. Data is more independent, where Cookie loves to lie right beside you. And since we’re both students and work mostly from home, we get to spend a lot of quality time with both of them.

Now that we’ve gotten to know her better, I think she just didn’t know how to behave when she first came home with us. Anxiety was really just puppy energy and a new environment that she needed to get used to. Her sweet nature and playful personality are starting to shine through, and we're so happy that we found her and she’s found her perfect home.

We all love her so much and expect her to thrive for many years to come.

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There are so many wonderful animals in shelters just waiting for someone to take them home. Cookie is a perfect example of how much joy an adopted pet can bring, and I feel very fortunate that we found each other.

To learn more about Pets In Need and see their mission in action, visit PetsInNeed.org or follow them on social media: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petsinneed1965/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petsinneed1965/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/petsinneed1965/

You’re also welcome to visit their shelters in person at 871 5th Avenue in Redwood City or 3281 E. Bayshore Road in Palo Alto. Come meet their adoptable pets and give a loving animal a place to call home.