Sophie

Why should your dog win in this category?
Sophie was adopted from Helping Hounds on October 1st, 2017. Although she has changed dramatically, nobody else has been quite the same since the day she arrived in her new home either. Sophie, also known as Soph, Goph, Gophie, Gopher, Snoozin' Suzan (and sometimes Stink Butt), was slow to acclimate. As a student, I live a fast-paced life, but things were slowed down while Soph was getting adjusted. She was hesitant on leaving her cage, coming out of my bedroom, going on walks, and especially of other people. She didn't wag her tail, bark or run for almost a month and the rest of the scared behavior lasted about two whole months longer. Sophie even ripped away the leash and hid in a neighbor's garden for an entire night when she was spooked by a stranger trying to pet her while on a walk (which was the scariest night of my life). I slowly figured out what she loved and tried to give her as much of it as I could. From walks I could tell that other dogs were Sophie's favorite thing, so I made an effort to take her to the dog park whenever possible. It was as if I had two different dogs, one who lived inside and one outside. It wasn't until one day that I took her to Green Lakes State Park that Sophie finally came ripping out of her shell. She made so many new dog friends and when she got home decided that there was no turning back. The tail wagging, huge smile with the tongue hanging out, jumping for joy, and playing hasn't stopped since. Every single day she becomes a little more excited about life and wants to do more. After a few months of training at home and the park, she can now be off leash without a single doubt that she will come back at the first clap of a hand. Since Sophie is from Alabama, her fist sighting of snow was this November and it became evident that I would not need to wait until spring to start training her for hiking trails. Sophie's favorite activity is cross country skiing because she gets to sprint back and forth between my friends and I on the trail. She also enjoys running through Oakwood Cemetery and the park close to the house. Soph has developed an affinity to sticks that are big enough to be branches and dives face first into the snow, dragging them out to play keep away! She now walks around the house by herself, doesn't hide from people and never stops trying to play. Words cannot express how happy Sophie has made me or how much she has developed into her unique personality, but I hope this blurb gives you some insight into how amazing she is!