Calgary's Animal Service provides an update on Wally

In January, on a ski vacation in Kimberley, semi-retired couple Pieter and Corné came across Wally’s story (trigger warning: x-ray images), a stray dog in Calgary recovering from a broken femur.

“Seeing his story melted my heart,” said Corné, “I knew then that he was ours from that instant.”

Having been at the Animal Services Centre since October, and recovering from a major injury, Wally had been through a lot.

When the couple returned to Calgary, their first priority was to book an appointment to meet Wally in person with the Animal Services Centre’s Animal Behaviour Coordinators.

During their first meeting, Wally was very shy and nervous, but Corné knew he was the dog for them; that’s why, on their third meeting, when Wally finally gave Pieter his paw, the three of them were bonded for good.

The couple, who weren’t even looking for a dog at the time, took the weekend to build a fence around their yard so that they could bring Wally home on a Monday – not an easy feat in January, but the couple had made up their minds: Wally was coming home.

Fearful and shy, Wally had to be lifted into their vehicle when he first came home from the shelter – car rides were one of his many fears.

After a couple of weeks together, Wally started to get very comfortable in his new home; the couple follows a daily routine that allowed him to find some comfort in the predictability. “When we wake up, the first thing we do is snuggle with Wally,” said Corné.

Wally also gets regular strolls in the Springbank dog park where he runs, fast and strong, unencumbered by his previous injury.

When asked what their favourite part of adding Wally to their family was, the couple gushed about how joyful it’s been. “We’ve just gotten so much out of adopting Wally, it’s joyful and our lives have changed for the better,” Pieter said.

It means the world to them that Wally feels safe and happy in his new home, and the fact that Wally knows his home on his way back from a walk shows that he’s happy to be there too.

“Love can change the world! It is not what we feed him, or how far we walk him, or the protection from the elements that have had the biggest impact on him. It is the love that he can see and feel we have for him that has profoundly changed him,” Corné said.

Wally appears cheerful and now looks forward to car rides – one of the many transformations he’s gone through.

“Our team of Animal Behaviour Coordinators dedicate themselves to matching each animal with the perfect family. It's our goal to ensure that every adopted pet finds their ideal match in terms of lifestyle, temperament, and compatibility. In this instance, we're proud to say we've succeeded,” said Kathleen Dickson, Coordinator, Animal Care and Clinic Services at the Animal Services Centre.

Two things are clear: Wally is enjoying his new life with Pieter and Corné, and they have gotten to experience the unconditional love that comes with adopting a dog from the Animal Services Centre.

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