A Cairn Princess in the Making - One Year

It took me a long time to come the decision to foster. A long time and a lot of convincing of my dear husband who felt we already had enough on our plate. A young family, a working family, with 2 kids still at home - quite a few years before they leave the nest. We already had one Cairn to add to our day to day responsibilities along with our family feline. I convinced my husband that we could do this, no problem.

Let’s rewind: August 11th, 2008 - a late night drive to the airport. Gosh, we were so excited about our new foster arriving in Winnipeg. We had already seen a picture of her and at least new what Wilson looked liked. Wilson came to Col. Potter from a puppy mill along with several Cairns that needed rescue. This group of fur-kids were named after rock legends. Wilson was named after the ever so talented ladies of the group Heart.
Finally, a small crate arrives in the cargo area of the airport. We all looked at each other with bewilderment and a now what look on our faces. We squeeze together and peek into the crate to see 2 eyes peeking back at us. In unison, we say “awwwww”. We carry Wilson to the car and start our new journey together as her foster family.

Let me tell you, things weren’t easy at first. Nope, not easy. We now had a dog that peed on the floor, on her bed, pretty much anywhere in her ex-pen. I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go! She growled at the resident Cairn and our cat. We wondered if she would ever be friendly. As each day went by, things got a little easier. After a few weeks, we were proud to say that Wilson was pee-mat trained. She wasn’t the most social dog we had ever met and was absolutely terrified to go outside. It didn’t matter though - those were things we would work on.
One day, I took some pictures of Wilson and put them on the Col. Potter website with a really nice update mentioning that Wilson was ready to be adopted. My dear husband was mortified! Yes, my husband - the same man who only one dog! He convinced me that we needed to adopt her NOW! He said that WE are the family for her, end of story. He also sat beside me to fill out an application to adopt.

Fast-forward: Sept.10th, 2008 - We received our contract that our adoption of Wilson had gone through. Wilson was officially ours! I shared the news with the family - everyone was elated!

Well, the first thing we did was a name change. Wilson, officially became Delilah - nickname Dilly. It is truly the most fitting name for this little girl… our little silly Dilly! Every month that went by with Dilly was a month full of accomplishments. Dilly was better bonded with the family, would walk a little more freely around the house, realized that the bathroom garbage can wouldn’t attack her and would even enter the kitchen at times when she felt comfortable.

It has taken Dilly 10 months to sniff - as crazy as that sounds, this little Cairn wouldn’t sniff anything. Well, she does now! She finally drinks out of the community water bowl and RUNS down the hallway with a smile on her face each and every morning because she can - and nobody stops her!
She continues to amaze me. Not just me but all of us. In August of 2009, Dilly went outside on her own. She didn’t need to be carried in terror at all. She followed us outside and ran for a short bit and wanted back inside. My dear hubby and I were speechless! We couldn’t believe it! Our little Dilly has come a very long way in the past year. She has also learned to finger play with small, gentle nips. She enjoys the company of her brother Hershey. I think she really started to like Hershey when she realized that he gets good treats when he comes in from outside and mom sneaks her one too. Speaking of food, I don’t think there will ever be another dog that is so grateful to receive a bowl of food. She sits in her little Sphinx position awaiting preparation of her meal, ever so quietly. Dilly will leap to her feet and bound down the hallway to her private eating area. Even the smallest crumb of food makes her happy. Her little eyes tell us “thank you” in her own way.

We have no regrets fostering. None. Dilly was the perfect addition to our family as silly as she can be. She adores her family, humans and fur siblings. She has made huge adjustments in her life but has settled in nicely.

We still have things to work on. We hope to spend our days in the backyard comfortably with Dilly one day where she can experience the shade of the apple tree on sunny day. Maybe she’ll roll in the dirt with Hershey or even dig in it. We want her to see a squirrel run along the fence or even watch a rabbit hop through the neighbor's yard.

All those good things will come - we’re certain of it. Time and patience are something we have a lot of.

Dilly, it has been a fantastic year! We are so happy to say that you are home for good!