My Story about Adopting a Desi Dog

By Linda Pearl 

Laila is unlike any other dog I have had. She is mostly quiet, but extremely alert. She can spot something moving in the distance even before I can. When we are out walking, she will let me know that she has spotted a dog or a person by her intense gaze. 

She is scary smart. She has quickly picked up on many useful training commands such as sit, stay, down, and come. However, it may be my imagination—she seems to think that trick commands are kind of silly. 

Laila also is a pro at training her humans. She is fond of sleeping. I used to try to get her up and out first thing in the morning, but now I enjoy my coffee and newspaper until she decides she is ready to greet the day. She walks better on a leash than any other dog I have had, except when she occasionally turns herself into an anvil and refuses to budge. (Often, she has spotted a squirrel or deer, but sometimes she is just telling us that she’d prefer to go another way.) 

Laila is full of surprises. Recently, she decided that after her dinner, when we sit down to eat, she will take herself upstairs to her crate for a quick snooze until we are finished eating. What kind of dog does that? 

Laila is soft and beautiful, with a spotted snout, and tummy that she presents often for a rub. She came to me from KAW and OPH, and it’s been clear from the start that she has been loved and cared for by many before me. More than once I’ve opened Facebook and found photos of Laila as a puppy or comments about her from people on the other side of the planet. I never imagined that, when I adopted Laila, I adopted a whole community of amazing humans as well.