Patient Spotlight: Meet Stella

We are so lucky to have some amazing clients and patients. I'd like to take some time over the next few months to acknowledge some of them.

First up, is Stella!

Stella was welcomed into her very loving home in July of 2014. Her people found her at an adoption event put on by Wish Bone Canine Rescue based out of Bloomington, IL. They were immediately drawn to her because of her beautiful eyes, and who could blame them! They also loved how patiently she was waiting in her kennel. Not much is known about her history prior to the shelter, only that she was dropped off at a different kill shelter with a litter of puppies she had just had. Fortunately, Wishbone Canine Rescue was able to get her into foster care and place her up for adoption when she was ready. She joined two cat friends, Jasmine and Mr. Pockets, in her new home and everyone settled into a new routine.

Stella is a very active dog and LOVES her daily walks and wrestling with Cooper. He is another rescue pup from Wish Bone Canine Rescue that was added to the family not too long ago.

It became obvious pretty soon after adopting Stella that she was a very smart girl. They immediately entered her into training classes at Jodie Vee's dog training facility. She quickly passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen test and the Canine Good Citizen Advanced test. From there she started agility, which was another area she excelled.

When Jodie Vee's started talking about a new sport called Barn Hunt, they thought it would be something new and exciting for Stella to try. Not only did she rise to this challenge but she has truly exceeded everyone's expectations! Barn Hunt is a fun  new sport where rats are SAFELY kept in PVC piping and dogs must correctly identify which pipe contains the rat, while avoiding the decoys that include litter or nothing in them at all. They must also complete a series of tasks that are dependent on the skill level. (For more information on Barn Hunt, you can find it here) Stella did so well in practice runs, her people decided to start her in some competitions. She has competed twice and already has two first place ribbons, a second place ribbon and a best in class. She earned her title of RATN (novice) title and is currently working towards RATO (open) title. With each new title come more challenging tasks.

There is really no limit to what Stella can do and thanks to her wonderful owners she has the opportunity to achieve great things! We cannot wait to see what she will do next!