An Adoption Tale: Chloe

After adopting her dog, Chloe, from TAGS, Nikki DeGroot decided to start volunteering for us! So not only has she given one deserving dog a great home; she’s also working to get great homes for so many more! Here she shares the story of her adoption of Chloe.

I adopted my dog, Chloe, from TAGS in May. Chloe is one of the eight shepherd/retriever pups that were rescued from the Kettle Point Reserve. She is now seven months old.

I first heard of TAGS from a high school friend via Facebook and began to monitor its website. When I saw the Kettle Point pups, I just had to meet them! At my meet and greet at the TAGS facility, I saw Chloe. It was love at first sight.

The next step was the home visit, where I was interviewed by two TAGS volunteers and Chloe’s foster mom. It was a great experience. I was very impressed with the structure and the volunteers’ professionalism. From there, I was approved to have Chloe for an extended visit.

During the extended visit, I got the opportunity to really bond with Chloe and see if we were a good fit for one another. I must admit, though, that week was very overwhelming. I had forgotten how much work puppies are! However, it is all worth it. At the end of the week, I signed the adoption papers, and she became part of my family.

Everyone who meets Chloe loves her. Her unique colouring gets a lot of attention on our walks. Everyone in my neighbourhood now knows Chloe by name.

Chloe was even able to help a boy who lives at the end of my street overcome his fear of dogs. Every day, this little boy, about five years old, would stare at Chloe from his porch as we walked by. He seemed scared but intrigued. One day I asked him, “Would you like to pet her?” He nodded his head yes. Each day following that, he would get a bit braver, and now he runs to her, sits next to her, rubs her belly, lets her kiss him, and so on. He waits outside his house every day for Chloe to visit. And the feeling is mutual. Chloe gets so excited when she sees him. The little boy also has two older brothers who were very scared as well, but now since they see that their little brother isn’t afraid, they, too, love Chloe.

So now Chloe has three little friends at the end of the street, and every day she looks forward to playing with them.

She is a beautiful, kind dog, and I thank TAGS for rescuing her and bringing us together.

My adoption experience has been so wonderful and rewarding. Thanks to Chloe, I will always have a rescued dog in my home.