Meet Our March Pet of the Month!

Fri, 03/19/2021 - 12:30pm

Oreo is a 7 year old lab mix who was adopted by her family in December of 2013 when she was 9 months old. In the first phase of her life, Oreo was a “southern girl in Georgia,” and was just moments away from being euthanized at the shelter before being rescued. She was then delegated to a foster organization called Libby’s Legacy, which brought her to Maine. When the Graffam-Gonros family went to the humane society, they had intended to meet a different puppy that was listed at the time, but when they got there, Oreo ran over and got right into Kim’s lap, stealing the hearts of Kim and her family. The decision was made. As Kim says, “as most people know, it isn’t the humans that make the choice. It is the animal.”

Anyone who has met Oreo knows her kind and gentle soul. She has never met a kid she didn’t like, but she can be timid at first with adults. When she first meets an adult, she acts standoffish and typically barks, but when she has the time and space to get to know the stranger, she will become very loving and accept all head rubs and butt scratches. However, the reason for one of Oreo’s favorite nicknames, Dory, becomes apparent when you leave and then come back another time, as the introduction process has to completely restart. As Oreo’s owner Kim says, “lather, rinse, repeat -- thus the nickname Dory (as in the forgetful fish from Finding Nemo).” While she most commonly responds to Oreo and Dory, she will also respond to any of the cats’ names, afraid that she may miss out on some attention! 

Oreo lives a very full life within her family unit, having opportunities to swim at camp, play in the fresh snow in winter, go on family walks, and steal footballs from the neighbors. This last activity is reportedly a favorite task that she takes quite seriously--collecting as many as six footballs in the lawn at one time. When it’s time for dinner, Oreo knows exactly who to sit next to, as some more than others (shoutout to Mammie) are more willing to break the rules and sneak pieces of chicken or steak under the table to her. When it comes to food, Oreo has a particular taste for cheese. Nothing gets Oreo up and moving faster than hearing someone open an American cheese wrapper somewhere in the house!

Beneath her bright personality, Oreo is a lovebug and a devoted companion. She loves nothing more than being with her family and in the middle of everything. A year and a half ago, Oreo tore her left cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), which is the primary ligament responsible for limiting excessive forward and backward sliding of the femur and tibia bones. When a dog has a partial tear or rupture of this ligament, a TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) surgical procedure is performed, where a plate is placed in order to hold the two bone segments together. The recovery process for this injury is extensive, and just months after Oreo’s first surgery, she ended up tearing her other CCL, which required a second surgery. As Kim writes, “we love her patience and resilience. These qualities became most evident after her two surgeries. She took the cone of shame, meds, and activity limitations in stride. She knew we were helping her and now she is doing fantastic.” With all of her visits to CHFA, we were delighted with her patient and loving personality that made working with her so easy. It was no question that she was more than deserving of this recognition!

Thank you to Oreo for being such a great patient to work with, to Kim and her family (Leni Gronros, Lilly, Kylli, Makira, and Megan) for being loyal clients for nearly 10 years, and to Libby’s Legacy for giving Oreo the opportunity to live such a full life with a family that adores her.