Skip to main content

Puppy Love

Hey Ya'll!


Meeting and falling in love with Zai!
This is Zai, the new face, mascot, and newest member of the SFCV Therapy team! Zai is an 18 month old, Golden Retriever that we adopted from a family in Shunyi who could no longer care for her due to a family illness.
4 weeks ago or so, our staff weighed and measured the benefits of getting a therapy dog for our kids and then decided to reach out to some of our contacts about adopting a dog that would fit our needs. 2 days later, we got a call from a Vet in Shunyi that he had just taken in a Golden Retriever that was in need a new home. The next weekend, Joanna and I made the 2 hour drive to meet her. The second we saw her, we knew she was perfect for us! She was well behaved, she didn't bark, bite or jump, wasn't interested in other dogs and just kept to herself - she was calm as calm could be. We took her for a quick walk and told our Vet friend that we most certainly wanted her. A bit later, we were on our way to Muyangdi (Shepherd's Field).
Richard brushing Zai in therapy!
Just givin' Leonard some kisses
When we got home, she was so excited to start exploring in her very puppy way! She immediately gravitated towards the kids and was so comfortable and gentle with them, giving kisses and holding hands right off the bat. Even though she is still a puppy and has yet to have completed her basic obedience training, she is so gentle and mellow with the kids. They ABSOLUTELY LOVE having her around! It's taking the therapy Ayi's a little bit to get adjusted to her and the concept that she is an indoor dog. They're not totally thrilled with the amount of hair that she sheds or that she's so big, but they are slowing and steadily coming along. All three of them have started to realize the benefits of having her around the kids. In the 3 weeks that Zai has been with us, we have seen several kids conquer their fear of dogs, especially big dogs, and work with her to their own therapeutic benefit - which is exactly what we wanted to see! I'm delighted with the way things have gone and are going since we started this new endeavor.
I know I look like a 5 year old girl that just got
the puppy she asked Santa for - but that is EXACTLY how I felt!
   On a personal level, I'm thrilled to have Zai here! I've wanted a dog for as long as I can remember and Zai is just so perfect - my dreams have come true and my heart is happy. I will admit that it has been a big adjustment. I'm not used to having someone else to take care of, feed, train, walk, etc. I have lost my cool a few times, but it's not easy to stay frustrated with her, one look in those adorable puppy eyes and my heart is yet again flooded with love for my little furry pup! As every dog parent and parent in general knows, dogs and kids are opportunities to learn and grow as a person. I'm so grateful for Zai, she has taught me so much already about what it means to care for another and to not stress the little things. I'm so excited for the things to come, the adventures we're going to have together, and the benefits that they brings to our program!


Take a look at how AWESOME our Dog is!! 

Introducing Zai to the kids at Little Lambs School
To say that LingLing is obsessed with Zai is an understatement!
They're rapidly becoming best friends! :)



 


This dog with the photo bomb win. This was not planned!
Pretty girl <3
          
So confused!

Hiding from the flash of my camera because she knows
she's being a bad girl and chewing on Mommy's rug.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Be Encouraged

"All of my life, In every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing,  I have a reason to Worship..."     You may or may not be familiar with Hillsong Music, which is a well-recognized music ministry based out of Hillsong Church in Australia. I truly believe that God has blessed this ministry and has used it to draw others to Himself.  This music has the ability to capture and speak to the depths of our soul and draw you into a time of worship. For the last several weeks, I've been listening to "Hillsongs radio" on Pandora and I love it! Yesterday morning a song came on that I had heard before but had never honed in on the words or their meaning. The words began to speak deeply to my heart and instantly drew me into the tangible presence of God. By now you may have guessed it, that song was entitled " Desert Song". It talks about continually having a heart of praise, gratefulness and trust in God because, no matter what happ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hong Kong Adventure, Part II

Hey Friends! HK here we come! :) As promised, I'm here to tell you all about my recent adventure to Hong Kong. Several of you may remember that I have a small traveling buddy that accompanies me on my adventures here in china. Her name is I Love You Bear or ILY as I call her. In Early September, ILY and I set out on our most recent adventure to Hong Kong to renew my Chinese visa. If you know me, then you know that I tend not to have the best luck when it comes to traveling. Thankfully this trip was much better than trips in the past. The one and only "hiccup" per say was on during my exit of mainland china. I flew from Beijing to Shanghai and had a short layover before catching a flight to Hong Kong. During this lay over I had to go through Chinese immigration to get my passport stamped to verify my leaving the country. I got in line with plenty of time before my flight,  I stood in line for what felt like forever, but finally it was my turn. As always, I stepped u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Merry Christmas and Happy December from SFCV!

Hey All! I know it's been awhile since I posted last. Life has been quite eventful and with the Christmas holiday and all...sadly, I just never got around to posting my thoughts, photos, etc from these last few weeks. All of that being said, lets back track a little and talk about all of the christmas celebrations and December happiness at SFCV and then move forward to present day :) December 10th: SFCV Inn Staff Thanks-Christmas dinner. As tradition would have it, we all (the SFCV Inn Staff members) gathered for a Thanksgiving/ Christmas dinner (turkey, stuffing, pie, the works...) with all of our foreign staff members and Inn staff.  The night was fill with Delicious food and even greater company!   December 11th: All Staff Christmas Party. Celebrating the Christmas season with all of our SFCV staff members (minus the Ayi's caring for the kids- they had a different party) with snacks, grab bag and awesome giveaways! Sadly, I was sick and had...
Post a Comment
Read more