Today is the one-year anniversary of adopting Sunny. We added her to our family just two weeks after saying goodbye to Karlie. I was so lost without a dog in my life, that I searched the internet for an Australian Shepard/Catahoula mix and found Sunny. We passed the interview process and two weeks later met her. She was an adorable, happy go-lucky, and friendly puppy so we decided to adopt her.
The first weeks were challenging as she was not fully vaccinated and we did not have our own yard at the condo, so she had to pee on pee pads. Thankfully after a few weeks we had her fully vaccinated and started to train her to go potty outside. That required many, many trips up and down the stairs to take her outside of the condo. It exhausted me and at times I wondered what we had taken on.
She also was a typical puppy that chewed things and got the zoomies in the afternoon. She was a little Tasmanian devil during the “witching hour” which seemed to occur between 3pm and 5pm EVERY SINGLE DAY. We covered all the furniture with packing blankets to keep her from destroying it. We also took her for a lot of walks to try to burn some of her puppy energy. It was a difficult time. I missed Karlie and Sunny was so different than the senior dog we had lived with for the past few years.
A few months later we drove cross country from San Diego to our home in Southern Indiana. We learned that Sunny was a fantastic traveler. She enjoyed going to new places and was extremely well behaved at the hotels, especially for a barely 5 month old puppy.
Over time we developed a daily routine that involved walks, training, and playing. We spent quite a bit of time outside on our deck or porch while she investigated the world. We also started to take her on adventures and revisited some of the places we took Karlie. Sunny also found a best friend; our next door neighbor’s Jack Russell Terrier who is 5 months older than Sunny. In short, she started to truly become a member of our family.
Sunny isn’t Karlie. Although she looks similar to her and has some similar characteristics, she also has her own personality. Despite how much I still miss Karlie, Sunny has found a way into my heart. She has become a snuggly girl who likes to start and end her day snoozing on our bed. Sunny LOVES leaves and tries to chase and herd them. She smiles when she is playing. She has the cutest batman ears. Sunny loves the sun and often when we are inside finds a spot to lay in. She wants to please and is always happy to meet someone new. Sunny is a sweet little girl and I am so happy that she joined our family. She is helping to mend my broken heart while stealing a piece of it for herself. It has taken time which is not surprising given the bond I had with Karlie.
So today we celebrated Sunny and the one-year anniversary of adopting her. There were cookies and a new toy, just as there were every year for Anna and Karlie.