We often get dogs with very unique names. Then as well all begin talking about them, sharing their photos, stories, etc., that name evolves. He came to FHI as Yando. His name closely resembled Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy (you know the line, he’s “Mary Poppins, y’all!!”), but no one ever seemed to remember how to spell it...until he went to his foster momma, Cassie. He settled on Yondu and as Yondu began to settle, a whole new side of him came out. Yondu was getting stressed at the rescue, so his foster mom came along exactly when he needed her the most. He began to flourish with her, improving how he behaved on walks, becoming more relaxed and less stressed, and he even learned how to share his toys with his foster sister, Candy. His time spent in rescue and in foster totaled 280+ days. Enter: Paul, Jessica and their FOUR boys!
“After seeing a picture of Yondu, we were SO EXCITED to meet him!” Jessica writes. Their introduction with him through Cassie was a great experience. He went to their house, hung out with everyone for a while, had a sleepover and within a couple of hours, they knew he was theirs for good! And now, 5 months after finalizing his adoption, we are thrilled to report that he is doing FANTASTIC! “He quickly became part of the family and makes us laugh every day. He’s right there with us when we are tucking our boys into bed at night and takes up most of the couch when he snuggles. He loves playing with the boys in the backyard and also “races” us to the basement (he always wins!)”. About a month after he was adopted, they started to notice that he looked uncomfortable eating his food, so after a trip to the vet for a checkup, it turned out that Yondu needed 16 teeth...yes, SIXTEEN...teeth extracted! They could tell that he immediately was feeling better after they were pulled and we went right back into being his usual ol’ self.
While we hope that every dog fits right into a home immediately, there may be a few that need a little extra work (this includes Yondu), and we are always willing to help new adopters out with anything. Yondu is currently working with a trainer to learn that he doesn’t need to protect the house and that he can just relax and be a dog. From what we hear, he is moving along in his training with flying colors! Way to go, Yondu!! He recently received his very own Christmas stocking from his Aunt Jessica and he cannot wait to see what Santa brings him this year!
“Our favorite thing about Yondu is that he takes our boys to school each morning. When the boys put on their backpacks, Yondu waits for his car seat harness, then hops in the car to sit shotgun. He rides along and is so proud to watch his boys walk into school.” ::insert teary eyes from FHI volunteers::
“He loves popcorn, squeaky toys, following the family around the house and has ninja-like skills when he steals food when people aren’t looking.” He is quite the gentleman to his 12 year old fur-sister, Bailey, he always lets her go through the door before him. Good boy, Yondu!!!
“As parents, we love that Yondu is so attached to our boys already. He is constantly making them laugh and they are so excited to see him when they get home from school. He’s bigger than we had planned to get, but we love his ability to snuggle his way in anywhere and have to laugh at his inability to go in reverse, often blocking traffic in the house.”
To wrap it all up, one of his favorite things to do is destuff his stuffed bears. Jessica finds herself frequently re-stuffing and stitching it back up so he can continue to enjoy it, over and over and over again. Where will you find him when he’s in the backyard? Oh, well, he’s been known to jump on the table and just chill. Now that's life, Yondu! We have LOVED catching up with him and his new family!! We wish you all the best and THANK YOU FOR ADOPTING!!!!
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