A lot of people experience love at first sight. Not many still feel the same way, though, after eight years apart. Especially if there were only one short meeting in the first place. But when Janice Peters met Mowgli the dog, "There was just something about him," she says. He was such a shy dog when he came to Best Friends as a 5-month-old puppy. Yet when Janice sat down near Mowgli, he walked over and let her pet him. Mowgli’s caregiver was shocked. He’d never done that before, not to anyone.
Right from the start Janice wanted to adopt Mowgli, but there was no way it could happen. She had a dominant male husky back home who would never allow another male to live with her. So she said goodbye to her new friend and headed back home to Morro Bay, California.
He may have been out of sight, but Mowgli was never far from her heart. In fact, before long, Janice even put up a picture of him in her home. She then sponsored him for years and years. Time marched on, and Mowgli continued to live at Best Friends hoping for a home. With his reserved personality, though, he seemed to have a hard time finding the right match. Meanwhile, Janice never stopped thinking about the bashful puppy who won her heart without even trying.
Not long ago, her husky passed on from Cushing’s disease. It was unexpected, it was heartbreaking, but it also opened a door Janice never thought might open. She checked to see if Mowgli was still available for adoption. He was.
Love at first sight is one thing, but eight long years had passed since then. She knew she wanted a chance to adopt, but she also wanted to make sure they were the right fit for each other. So Janice came to the sanctuary where she spent three solid days with Mowgli. She hadn’t seen him in all that time since their first meeting.
Her first reaction? "He was really big!" Well, eight years does tend to leave a mark on a 5-month-old puppy. Otherwise, however, he was much the same dog she remembered. Still shy, still "the gentlest dog" she had ever met, and still with full claim on her heart. They went on outings all around the surrounding areas. They did sleepovers. They spent as much time together as possible, and in the end, she felt it was indeed the match she’d always hoped for. Her other dog Sami thought the same. Janice decided to adopt.
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In a home environment, Mowgli has been adjusting slowly. He’s had to learn to trust, just as much as he’s had to learn how to live around human furniture. But he’s getting there. One time on their daily walks, for example, he found some horrific-smelling stuff to explore and took full advantage of the opportunity. Back at the house, Janice knew he needed a bath. Perhaps he realized the same, because he stood still and let her give him one. "I’m going to trust you now," she could read on his face. "Please remember this!"
Slowly but surely, that trust has been growing. Janice says he still makes baby steps, but at least he makes them. Every once in a while he will tiptoe over for a head scratch, and even flopped down one time for a full-body rub. "It’s all on his terms," Janice explains. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Back home in Morro Bay, it turns out that Janice is the mayor. And down at city hall, they’re all a bunch of dog lovers, which means Sami and Mowgli make regular appearances. As such, Sami and Mowgli are the first and second dogs of Morro Bay, respectively. Who knew he’d rise to such prominence?
Better than his swift climb in politics, of course, is that he finally has a home to call his own. A home he’s been waiting for so long it seemed it might never come. And as for Janice, she finally has the dog she couldn’t stop thinking about for the better part of a decade. She still has his picture, too. The one she’d kept on the wall all that time. Maybe it serves as a reminder that the best things in life are truly worth waiting for. Congratulations, the both of you.
Story by David Dickson
Photos by Best Friends staff
Want to be a part of the progress of dogs like Mowgli? You can help make a difference by sponsoring one of the sanctuary canines.
