Our first week with our new dog Kava (formerly Brownie), by Alison Onyango

We adopted Kava, formerly Brownie, from TNR on 17 June. Both my partner and I have had dogs in the past and were looking for the right opportunity to adopt. When we saw a picture and video of Kava, we knew we had to meet her and so we organised a first meeting at her fosters home. The meeting went great, and we adopted her the next day. Neither of us had had a dog for a few years, so the moment we knew we were going to adopt her I went into preparation mode, buying food and other supplies and refreshing myself on dog dos and don’ts.

After quite a long ride, where she got a little carsick, Kava was finally at her new home. The moment she hopped out of the car, she immediately went around sniffing everything in our house to familiarise herself. We already have a cat in our home, and we weren’t quite sure of how she was going to react. After doing a lot of research of how to safely introduce a cat and a dog, we decided to let them see each other through a window. It didn’t go so well, but that is to be expected. Kava had also already received some training from her fosters so luckily, we did not have to worry about potty training her and she already knew some commands which was really helpful to us.

During the weekend we adopted Kava we had time to bond with her and make her comfortable with her new surroundings and new people, which she did amazingly. She settled in well and we were happy to spend those first two days with her at home.

Since I work from my office for the first two days in the week, I knew it would be very difficult to say goodbye to her on Monday morning. When the time came, although I knew I’d see her again in a few hours, it was harder than I thought to leave her to go to work. As I left, I told our gardener to try keep her company and check in on her from time to time. Whilst I was working, I found myself thinking “how is Kava?”, “does she miss us?”, “is she okay?”. But I had nothing to worry about, I got home and was greeted by a wagging tail- Kava was very happy to see me and perfectly fine. It was also difficult to leave her on Tuesday morning, but I was more sure that she would be okay.

During the week she got more and more comfortable, accompanying us wherever we are in the house and exploring every corner of the yard. She quickly learned the sound of the front door opening, the sounds of our cars approaching, and the smell of food being cooked. On Saturday, it was time for her first bath and first walk, we were impressed by how well she handled both. She’s also very laid back, we didn’t even hear what her bark sounds like until about five days after we adopted her!

In the first week of adopting Kava, we got to learn more about her, and she learnt more about us. I learnt that she particularly likes jerky treats, and she does not like being left alone and is happiest when she is with us. She learnt that I like when she sits by my desk and that we don’t like it when she steals our food or shoes. She’s also learnt how to keep her distance from our cat, but still doesn’t understand that the cat doesn’t always want to play. Even in her first week with us, Kava has shown herself to be a loving, happy and calm dog. Her and our cat are not the best of friends, but I have faith that one day I’ll come home to find them snuggling each other in the couch. She is already such a great addition to her family, and we would like to extend our gratitude to TNR for giving us the opportunity to adopt this amazing dog. We look forward to loving our Kava for the rest of her life.