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Happily Ever After For Rescue Dog Canela

Lenora Kruk - Mullanaphy

Rescue dog Canela waited nearly 1,000 days to be adopted. Fortunately, 731 of those days were spent with Cori Rydgren, her Old Dominion Humane Society (ODHS) foster parent. Canela watched as 3,000 other rescue dogs jumped into the arms of their forever families before she would get her turn. In Canela’s case, her story has the “happily ever after” that everybody had been wishing for.


Canela, a mixed breed, had been spending some time with a new foster who lived on acres of land with a creek, plenty of sunshine and adult children that love her and visit often. Since Canela isn’t fond of other animals, the only ones in sight are some squirrels, bunnies and a stray cat that knows to stay away. It turned out the foster dad and Canela were a match made in heaven.


“There are so many reasons Canela is an amazing dog,” said Rydgren, 27, who began fostering at ODHS in 2020. “She’s the perfect combination of everything you’d want in a dog. She was not only rescued from the large stray population in Puerto Rico, but she was later taken from a rescue that continually put her in situations with other animals where she felt she needed to defend herself.”


Rydgren found her niche in taking dogs that don’t get along with other animals. Lucky for Canela, Rydgren chose her while waiting for an adopter.


When it comes to people, Canela just loves them. She’s the perfect companion—affectionate, but not needy. She’d sit on the couch napping while Rydgren didchores around the house. The thing that melted Rydgren’s heart was the way Canela greeted her with the happiest little wiggle, her snuggles and how she played with her stuffed toys. Canela’s mix of being lazy around the house and putting in a few miles on the trails was a good balance. Rydgren and Canela, the perfect car rider, had a mission to visit every state park together while waiting forher forever home.


Rydgren started fostering Canela in 2022 and has collected close to 1,000 photos of their time spent together. There are many of the duo on hikes and one of the rescue dressed up in a pair of glasses and wig that she looks perfectly content to show off. The original plan was to foster Canela for six weeks, and that led to two years. Canela was the best foster that could have pawed her way into Rydgren’s life. She needed someone to look beyond her past and see how amazing she is with people.


“Canela has challenged me to stand up for dogs with unique needs, and she’s been the best example of overcoming those odds that I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be the foster I am today without Canela being part of this journey.”

There’s no doubt in Rydgren’s mind that Canela will make a great companion for her new “dad”. By providing her with a home that’s calm and free of otheranimals and small kids, she’ll be his best friend.


When people ask Rydgren why she didn’t “foster fail” (adopt) Canela, she says her job as a foster is to find the rescue a home. She’s stuck to that mission, and now the search is over. Canela’s long-awaited journey to be adopted is complete, and there are other people-only dogs waiting to get the same shot that ODHS has given Canela.


“Canela is amazing and, despite everything she’s been through, she continually loves people,” said Rydgren. “All she’s ever wanted in life is for a human to love her.”

Address

3602 Lafayette Boulevard

Fredericksburg, VA 22408

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Wednesday

Friday

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  5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

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Old Dominion Humane Society provides well-matched, permanent homes for animals in need through rescue, rehabilitation and education.

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