01/02/2026
You don’t get the dog you want—you get the dog you need 🐾
Time to introduce Rufus!
When I arrived at the shelter, I didn’t have a clear idea of the dog I wanted to adopt. I just walked from kennel to kennel, letting serendipity lead the way.
I didn’t notice Rufus right away. A volunteer told me about him. He was found on the street the day before his first birthday, he waited… until someone finally saw him.
Rufus (that I renamed after my favourite band Rüfüs du Sol) doesn’t have the kind of face everyone warms to, and his size can put people off… he can even be intimidating at first glance.
But after a minute, the more sensitive notice his gentleness, kindness, remarkable adaptability, and his closeness to humans.
Adopting means looking beyond appearances. What Rufus and volunteering are teaching me is that most “problems” people have with animals come from misunderstandings. Less judgment, more listening, patience, and psychology—that’s how we prevent abandonments.
As our story is only beginning, I know we’ll learn a lot from each other.
Saving a life also means saving yourself 🩵