Nameless, abused, and found tied to a tree, the boxer that eventually was named Trooper, still has plenty of love to give. His history was mostly a mystery. But, between the vet, pound, and rescues they were able to somewhat piece it together. Believed to be a bait dog or in a dog fight, and despite unimaginable neglect and abuse, Trooper still displayed trust and a gentle nature towards humans. Thanks to the Compassionate Animal Adoption Rescue, Trooper was saved.

 

The dog that almost got away. One of Christine Veillard’s friends was aware that the Veillard family was looking for a boxer, so she sent her a link to the dog’s online profile, but Veillard deleted it.

 

When her friend followed up, Veillard admitted she had deleted the link. Serendipitously, Veillard hadn’t emptied her deleted e-mails, and the link was still there.

 

The rest as they say, is history. Christine immediately fell in love with Trooper, being drawn in by “[Trooper’s] sad eyes, and the fact that his bio said he liked to ‘sleep in on Saturday mornings,’” she says. Christine Veillard and her family adopted Trooper from his foster home, and now they can’t imagine their lives without each other.

 

Technology and love bonded them together. The adoption process started when Veillard sent an e-mail to the Compassionate Animal Adoption Rescue in Montreal. From there, they were put into contact with the dog’s foster family in order to set-up a time to visit Trooper.

 

After filling out an adoption form, Veillard, her husband, and son went to see the boxer. The family spent two hours with Trooper because they loved him so much. 

 

His scars and wounds still evident, the dog allowed Veillard to put Neosporin on him. Throughout their time with Trooper, his kind nature appeared, despite the alleged abused he suffered. 

 

Making friends wherever he goes. With a few bumps at the start due to separation anxiety and relieving himself on the carpet when the family wasn’t home, Veillard says the most trouble Trooper gets into now is “putting saliva on my living room window when he says hello to the neighbours.”

 

Even when he is out playing with neighbourhood dogs at the local high school’s field, Trooper is extremely popular.

 

When Veillard’s brother and nephews came to visit last summer, while being afraid of Trooper at first, three days later, her nephews tired the dog out. “Three days of chasing two little boys, and several Kong balls later, Troop was pooped,” she said. Veillard's brother was so touched by Trooper he ended up adopting a dog shortly after returning home.

 

Adoption is the best option. For Veillard and her family, accepting Trooper into their home was the best gift both for them and the dog.

 

Trooper has brought each family member incredible joy and everyone knows their role. Veillard's husband is the boss, her son is Trooper’s friend, her daughter is a pushover, and Christine herself is the dog’s ‘mama.’ "No matter how bad our day was, we walk in and Trooper is there, smiling. Yes, my grumpy baby smiles. It is really great,” said Veillard.

 

However, she cautions that adoption needs to be a well-thought out decision. People need to know what they are getting into, and ensure you can always be there for the animal, saying, “make sure you have lots and lots of love to give.”