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Sunny’s story…

Lisa and Jeff adopted Sunny in October 2000. Lisa recently sent us this New Beginnings story.

We adopted Sunny on October 10, 2000. UMR contacted us about Sunny and the situation he was in, and we knew we had to act quickly to get him out of the home he was in and save him. When we got to the home Sunny was living in and met him, we knew instantly he was in need of medical attention. He had been in a family that could not afford to take care of him and had been neglected medically. When we first saw him, his hair was completely matted; his eyes were practically sealed shut due to dry eye socket; he was flea infested; and his skin was very pink and had sores from where his hair was pulled tight with knots or from where he had scratched himself open. He smelled terrible due to both ears having severe infections. No medications had been given to him to treat these conditions for a long time. He spent most of his first day with us at the vet, where he was shaved down, cleaned up, and sent home with all kinds of medications. Since then, it has been pretty much all uphill for Sunny.

In December, his right ear canal was removed due to damage from the chronic infections. Getting this procedure done, along with the proper medication he has received, has completely turned him around and made him more comfortable and feeling normal. He is so happy and full of love every day. His eyes are bright and clear and his coat is very clean and well groomed. He has much more energy and shows us lots of affection and wags his tail all the time to show us how happy he is.

His previous owner had fed him a diet of hotdogs, so it has been a challenge getting Sunny on a proper diet. He is getting used to his Science Diet and we cook chicken and rice for him in the evenings. He also loves raisins, snausages, and Frosty Paw too. His favorite word is "treat."

It has been extremely satisfying to see such positive changes, and we continue to see more positive things every day. He has made Jeff and I very happy, and he is the light of our life! It feels like he has been part of our family for years.

Thanks to UMR, Sunny’s life, as well as ours, are so much happier and fulfilled.

Sunny with football
Sunny

 

Lisa & Sunny
Sunny and Lisa

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2004 Sunny Update!

Molly and Sunny
Sunny gets a new sister (Molly).
He loves her madly and gives her kisses at every opportunity

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2003 Sunny Update!

sunny 2003  sunny 2003 sunny 2003

This is a letter from Sunny's parents Lisa and Jeff:

It was 2 ½ years ago when Sunny came into our family. It has been so satisfying watching him become a healthy, confident little guy ! The changes he has gone through since his past life are pretty remarkable.

Prior to coming into our home, Sunny did not know how to eat out of a bowl or dish. Now, there is no hesitation at meal time (one of his favorite times of the day). He also never knew the pleasure of chewing on rawhides or nylabones, now he has his very own toy boxes (2 upstairs and 1 in the living room) and each one is filled with all kinds of his favorite chew toys which he plays with constantly ! Along with his many toys, he has several of his own dog beds, which he just loves. He also has an amazing wardrobe. He has at least 10 coats, a few t-shirts, a Redskins jersey, lots of different leashes and collars, a few hats and a pair of sunglasses. He loves it when we dress him up because he knows he looks adorable.

Sunny has also learned a few tricks - he will sit, laydown, speak, and give sweet little kisses when asked to. He will do all of these tricks in quick succession when enticed with a treat ! It's remarkable just how intelligent our little guy is - he knows quite a large vocabulary of words and terms too - mommy, daddy, let's go upstairs, lets go downstairs, wanna go outside?, wanna go for a ride? get your bunny, get your bone, do you wanna go for a walk, pee pee, poopie, give mommy kisses, mommy wants some love, do you want dinner?, do you want a treat?, who is a good boy?, and many, many more.

When we wake up each morning and greet Sunny, his tail wags a mile a minute. He is always so happy and loving and really brightens our day.

Sunny has influenced and inspired me personally in an artistic way. I started sewing cute fuzzy dog purses and I make handmade glass dog bead jewelry. I have participated in several craft shows sponsored by the Alexandria Animal Shelter and Sunny has spent the day with me at each one. This gives me the opportunity to talk to people about the United Maltese Rescue League.

Jeff and I look forward to coming home to Sunny every day - he always greets us like we're rock stars! I don't know what our lives would be like without him ! The love he shows to us just amazes me each and every day.

sunny 2003

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