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| Name: |
Bentley
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Age: |
Six months old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Shepherd mix
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| Home: |
Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Sir
Bentley Noodle is a rescue dog, who spent the first few weeks of life
living in a ditch. He's a Shepherd crossed with a bit of everything :). He
became a part of our family at ten weeks old. Since then he has put on many
miles as my running partner. He is great company and a friend, we can't
imagine our home without our four-legged pal.
For a long time I had contemplated getting a dog. But out of nowhere, I
looked at the Animal Rescue Foundation website, saw a picture of Bentley and
knew he would be the perfect addition to our family. But Bentley had a rough
start in life - as a rescue dog, he was found at five weeks old, abandoned by
his mother. When we first brought him home he was timid and wasn't sure how
to be a dog. I immediately bonded with him but he was nervous around other
dogs and people. As I deeply agonized over how to make him happy, healthy and
confident, my family gave me books on how to work with rescues and friends gave advice.
At first, we thought the answer would be a pricey puppy-training program that
we had to commit to for a certain amount of time and the cost was more than
we paid for daycare for our son! But a friend of ours, seeing how much I
wanted Bentley to thrive, suggested we sign him up for doggie daycare (which
sounds ridiculous) but it worked!
The first day I left him at dog daycare he was scared (I was too, come to
think of it). I left and ran back to the car and cried because I felt awful
leaving him. But when I came back at the end of the day he was running around
with the other dogs and having the time of his life! From then his
personality has changed. He has become a confident young puppy and has
developed a deep loyalty in short period of time, but he's also gentle. What
I find really amazing about him is just how intelligent he is! He was
house-trained before he even came home with us, but he learned simple things
like sit, stay, fetch on the first go (I've never owned a dog, so it really
surprised me how fast he learned!) Also, while camping recently he figured
out how to unzip the tent...! We laugh at him because he will take water from
his dish and use his paws to wash his face - we say he's "primping."
But Bentley has a spark in him that I find difficult to explain. Wherever we
are, Bentley is with us. Whether it's to the office with me, or out on the
road with my husband. Though his bark can be intimidating to some, he makes
friends every place we go! He is my running partner extraordinaire and the
fourth member of our family - one we can't imagine life without!
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