08/30/2026
Adela is available 💖
Diary of a Shelter Dog – Adela
“Bravery isn’t always a flashy thing. Sometimes it’s quiet and determined – like a flower that’s been stepped on yet lifts its face to the sun and tries again. That’s my friend Adela – who was brave for her tiny hearts and is now learning to be brave in a new way… for herself. Love, Dino 🦖”
Hi. I’m Adela. 💞🌻
Last November, I arrived at the shelter in a flurry of confusion with my eight tiny hearts tucked against me. I remember the crisp winter air. New smells, new voices, new hands reaching for us. I curled myself around my tiny hearts, protecting them the only way I knew how. Fear makes the world blurry, even when people are kind.
Especially after what we’d been through.
But the shelter humans moved gently. They spoke softly. They wrapped my tiny hearts in warm blankets and told me I was a good mom. Little by little, I realized they were giving us a life we never had.
My tiny hearts blossomed! One by one, they found forever families.
I was proud.
I was hopeful.
I was heartbroken.
It was excruciating...to suddenly have all this love with nowhere to go. I kept waiting for someone to look at me the way they looked at my tiny hearts – with certainty, with softness. With forever.
But no one has.
It's been 10 months, in a place that was never meant to be more than temporary.
When people pass my kennel, they see a dog who isn’t quite sure what to do. Say hello? Hide? Truthfully… I’m NOT sure. I’ve learned that trust is fragile. It needs time, gentle hands, and care. For example… my shelter humans? With them, I can be the REAL me. Silly. Carefree. Playful. I LOVE squeaky toys, head kisses, butt scratches (more please!), and being swaddled like a princess. They say my snuggle bug potential is 10/10… with the right person.
Someone patient, steady, and confident. Someone who can give me structure and take the guesswork out of my life. Someone who can show me every day that my past isn’t my present.
Someone who understands that I don’t do halfway love. When I love, it’s with my whole heart. That’s why it takes me longer. I need to be sure.
My friend Dino says sometimes the Universe needs time to get things exactly right. The right person. The right dog. The right moment. Maybe my person wasn’t ready before now. Or maybe they didn’t know I was here, waiting.
If you’re reading this… maybe it’s you. Maybe when you look in my eyes you can see my brave heart, aching to share all this love with someone special. Maybe you’ll just KNOW I’m THE ONE. Even if I don’t know it myself yet.
Come meet me. Play with me. Let me learn you.
CHOOSE ME.
And once I know my heart is safe, I will choose you with everything I have.
Love, Adela 💞
Editor’s note (aka Dino 😉🦖): To adopt Adela, visit www.hsgn.ca/adopt. Or share her story to help find her person. TEAM ADELA: If you have a favourite photo or video of our girl, drop it in the chat and share all of her best-est qualities!
