#3352 Willow
Gender: female
I couldn’t be happier or prouder of Willow for how far she came in a such a short amount of time. Willow touched down at Pearson from Cairo, Egypt, on a very cold day in January. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I could tell she was terrified…but underneath that fear was a sweet little Golden girl just waiting to be loved. We had a 2.5-hour drive from the airport to home. I will never forget how stiff and unsure she was during the drive. She looked like a statue paralyzed with fear. I spoke to her softly, telling her she was safe and loved and was going to love the life that awaited her. I could tell she was listening. When we arrived home, it was clear she was petrified about entering the house. If it wasn’t for the cold wind and -30 degree temperature, I would have sat outside with her until she was ready to come in but unfortunately, we didn’t have that luxury. After about five very slow attempts to coax her inside, she crossed the threshold and immediately ran to the nearest couch with her tail tucked between her legs. It was heartbreaking. From that moment on, the love sofa became Willow’s security blanket. If she could have dragged it around or carried it in her mouth, she would have. Willow was your classic 3-3-3 rule girl. Those first three days were all about decompressing, observing her surroundings, getting used to new smells and sounds, and feeling safe. She panted non-stop and barely left the love sofa. It was clear she needed to take things slowly so that’s what we did. By the third week, Willow started to understand the daily routine and was trusting her environment. She was still very skittish and many things spooked her, but she was learning to trust and slowly her goofy personality started to make an appearance. You could tell she was testing boundaries. Every time she attempted to interact with a toy or did zoomies, she would stop to see my reaction. It was her way of saying, do you approve of this, is this okay, will I get in trouble for being happy and goofy? Slowly but surely, the garbage cans on the curb stopped spooking her, she started to play with her toys, and she started coming out of her shell. By month three, our sweet little girl had blossomed into a social butterfly and is now your classic happy, goofy Golden. She adores all humans and canines, big and small. She barks at squirrels if they run up a tree and at chipmunks hiding under a shed. She is now the talk of the town because of her larger-than-life personality. I’m known as Willow’s mom, which is music to my ears. Willow is our third International Golden from Golden Rescue. Without a doubt, the most rewarding part has been watching our Golden girls transform into their truest selves. Each of our International fur-babies have had their own traumas, unique quirks, and distinct personalities. For Willow, it became quite clear she didn’t enjoy playing fetch, hiking or going on adventures. Willow’s favourite things in life are cuddling on the couch (she knows the word cuddle), having playdates with her friends in the neighborhood, and going on walks with the sole purpose of saying hello to everyone we meet. She is the happiest, goofiest, sweetest girl and we feel so incredibly lucky to be her family. She takes care of us, gives us endless reasons to laugh, brings us oodles of joy, and showers us with unconditional love each and every day. We don’t know what we did to deserve Willow but we are so grateful she flew all the way from Cairo to join our family. Thank you, Golden Rescue, for all that you do!
Catherine
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