Washington woman drives 2,200-miles to adopt a ‘wild man’ dog from foster family, and with training begins to: ‘cuddle like he was bred for cuddling.’

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Dec 28, 2025 2:00 PM EST

Dog adoptions are often not the easiest of things to deal with. There are so many different potholes, plot twists and potential unforeseen problems that come along this path that you never quite know what is going to come next and from where. Meaning the only thing you can do is to know your limitations and respect them such that the doggo you end up with does not push those limits too hard and will get the best of you, rather than the worst of you. After all, a doggo who is up for adoption has likely had it hard enough up to this point in life. Surely they deserve the best rather than just mediocre. And that is exactly what this pupper pawrent did when she began her search for her new pupper.

She did not let the passing of her former pupper blurry her vision or cloud her mind, instead using it to sharpen the list of requirements she had for a new doggo. Knowing exactly what her limits were, and how she could best support a sweet dog when it came home to her. But do not be fooled into thinking that just because she had requirements, that she would not do whatever it takes to make this doggo's life delightful. In fact, quite the opposite is true as she embarked on one of the longer roadtrips we have heard about to bring an adopted doggo to its furever family. 

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  • 01
    "He is the most perfect addition to our household. "
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    I unexpectedly lost my 11 year old heeler late last year. My husband and I had agreed to wait a while before bringing home another dog, but I only made it a few weeks before I started looking. I searched
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    petfinder, gradually broadening my search parameters. I checked Petango. I checked individual sites for animal controls in rural areas. I knew what I wanted, and in fact, put this
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  • 04
    call out to my dog people: I'm looking for a 30-45 lb herdy thing (mixes okay!). Probably 6 mos- 3 years.
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  • 05
    Must be cat safe and dog friendly. Not fussy about color or s x. I'd rather not deal with reactivity or aggression this time around. Strong
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    preference for wash and wear/smooth coat. Super excited to get back into dog sports and go fling a frisbee.
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    Cheezburger Image 10591417088
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  • You know what? We really do not talk about how important it is to actually know what characteristics you are looking for when starting to search for a pupper to bring into your family. For while we would love to adopt any and all doggos in need of a home, the truth is that it is better to bring home a canine who you will be able to give the best life possible to. Rather than a dog you will be trying to put up with for 10 years who will never truly experience the depths of your love.

  • 08
    Preference goes to ridiculous ears and great big smiles. I'm willing to make exceptions for exceptional dogs.
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  • 09
    I'm still in eastern WA, but I've moved mountains to move animals before. (PS- not a big corgi fan, not interested in anything brachycephalic
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    , and as much as I love pits, our future has too many question marks re: renting to commit to a pit mix right now.)
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    Cheezburger Image 10591417600
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    I put in some applications for some dogs in the PNW. Some wound up not being cat safe, or being reactive, or not being good with other dogs. I got denied by one organization for not making enough
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    money (I work in animal welfare!). One thing led to another and I wound up in a facebook group for rehoming heelers. This face popped up. He was not quite 2, just over 30 lbs, and had been living with
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  • What can we say, we love a responsible dog pawrent. Someone who takes into account every single little detail they can about the needs of their home and their availability to support a potential adoptive pupper. It is so honorable and heartwarming. And the truth is that while it might slightly limit one’s ability to find the right dog, it is just a matter of time until the right dog comes your way anyway.

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    4-10 other dogs. Cat safe. Great food drive, moderate toy drive.. Also... he was 1900 miles away. I got some video footage and some more photos. I talked at length with his fosters. I talked it over with my husband.
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    173
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    We debated about how to get him home. We thought about flying him, but both parties (foster and myself) would be required to put in 6- 10 hours of driving round trip to get to airports that would allow for a direct flight. It was also
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    December, and the temperatures weren't cooperative. A good friend of mine offered to help. She wound up driving 5 hours to pick him up and then driving another 10 hours to meet me in CO. All said and done,
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    we each drove 1100 miles (one way) to get him home with me. I'll admit: that first night at the AirBNB was worrisome. He peed on some hand- carved wooden artifacts, he screamed in his crate, he
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    countersurfed and tried to eat aluminum foil out of the trash can. He wanted nothing to do with me. It wasn't looking good. I wondered how much I'd regret this.
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    Cheezburger Image 10591417344
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    But... consistency and routine go a long way, as does patience. We've only had him since New Year's Eve and he is the most perfect addition to our household. Not destructive, has never poed in our house, not a barker. He's kind to our cats and
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    bunnies. He's good with our other dog. We just finished a "canine companion" training class and should be doing our CGC test sometime soon. We just started a tricks class. He is attentive and bright and goofy and
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    everything I could want in a dog. He's good around horses, he's good off leash. He rides quietly in the car. He greets houseguests appropriately. He cuddles like he was bred for cuddling. He catches frisbees and chases tennis balls.
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    He's got some quirks, but we all do. We're working through learning how to have his feet handled and nails trimmed. He doesn't do well being manhandled (which is a departure from the norm in our house), but he's getting more tolerant every day we
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    work on it. Daily, I find myself marveling over my good fortune. I am delighted by him and so glad I chose to adopt this wild man.
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drive man woman foster reddit story washington cuddles cuddling miles training family dog story dog adoption wild
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