Sunny joined our family fifteen days after we said goodbye to Karlie. I wasn’t really ready or even remotely over Karlie, but I needed a furry friend to love. So shortly after saying goodbye I looked for another dog to join our family. I was looking for a Catahoula/Australian Shepard mix just like Karlie. I’ll admit I was trying to fill the hole in my heart with a dog that looked like Karlie, hoping she would be just like Karlie. What I found was a dog that looks like Karlie, but has her own personality.
After searching the internet I found Sunny just outside Los Angeles. After several conversations with her foster mom, a video walk through of our condo, and providing information about our Indiana home they selected us to adopt her. I was so excited! A few days later we met her foster mom at a park halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Sunny wasn’t yet fully vaccinated so we had to stay in the back of our SUV getting to know her. It was quite a challenge to keep this little wiggly, rambunctious, silly puppy from leaving the vehicle and chasing the leaves in the parking lot that she was so fascinated by. Despite, or possibly because of that, we thought she was adorable and decided she would make a great addition to our family.
We spent a couple months at our condo getting to know each other and working on potty training. Eventually she was fully vaccinated so we started taking her on adventures including to the beach. She LOVED getting out and especially enjoyed watching the ocean and sniffing all the smells at the beach. And then, just after she turned five months old, we drove across country to our home in southern Indiana. She was a superstar on the trip and in the hotels.
Now we are fast approaching the one-year anniversary of saying goodbye to Karlie and Sunny’s gotcha day. A lot has happened in the past year. Sunny has grown up, but is still a rambunctious, silly girl. Sunny loves to chase leaves. Her best friend lives next door and they love to wrestle and chase each other. Sunny likes to snuggle on the bed after breakfast and her morning walk. She also likes to end her day by snuggling on the bed. Sunny does a celebratory dance when she finds a treasure in the yard – sticks, nuts, and leaves. She has learned how to spin, rollover, sit, come, lay down, go to her mat, find it, and leave it. Sunny is doing great at walking without pulling on her leash at least until she sees a blowing leaf.
Sunny is a wonderful addition to our family. She is not Karlie; she has her own personality, favorite toys, and favorite things to do. We are so lucky she is part of our family. We can’t wait to continue taking her on adventures and exploring new areas. Sign up to receive monthly updates of our posts detailing our adventures or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.