It was his little flopped ear that got us. Glenn and I decided it was time to grow the family to adopt another dog back in 2018. Our sweet boy Zig, a gregarious border collie x with three legs but the energy of a dozen, needed a companion. Because Zig had special needs that meant de-escalation of his activity was usually for the best, we felt that a smaller, calmer dog would be the right fit for our little family. And we saw Panda, with one ear up and one ear down.
Panda was scared of us at first, but ARF’s wonderful Lyn assured us that once he got to know us he’d be all over us. At the early meetings, when we met Panda with Lyn’s guidance, it was so hard to give him space. We just wanted to snatch him for a cuddle, but of course being a timid little dog Panda would not have it. On the first night with us, Panda seemed so out of sorts, he clearly missed Lyn and was unsure of us. A little bit of feta cheese helped to settle him (we all have our price!), and to our surprise the next morning he woke up wagging, and his tail hasn’t stopped since!
In those early days, I used to say to Glenn “I don’t know that I could ever love another dog as much as I love Zig,” but Glenn assured me that I would. Panda proved Glenn right. We love Panda as much as anyone has ever loved a dog – and everybody connected to ARF will know that’s infinite. Panda is the perfect member of our little family. He cracks us up every time he burrows his way under a blanket, refuses his food unless we go through the ritual of pretending to put people food in it, or wriggles around snapping (gently!) for fun. He follows the sunbeams around the backyard, and when cuddling with someone he’ll constantly scan for a superior lap, as he is a connoisseur of comfort, safety, and warmth.
Panda and Zig peacefully co-exist, cruising around the backyard in close proximity to each other. Zig clearly would like Panda to run and play with him, but it’s for the best that he won’t. Panda is perfect for our family, and we are so grateful to ARF, and Lyn in particular, for the opportunity to adopt this sweet little critter.