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by Rachel E.
On November 6th, 2011, Reston Town Center held their annual dog fair, where rescue organizations from all over the state bring some of their dogs for potential adoptions. My family and I went to the dog fair knowing we were most likely bringing a dog home. We looked around the fair and saw this adorable 1-year-old black lab. We were quite interested in the dog, but we decided to go to lunch first.
Once we returned from lunch, we learned that the black lab was being adopted by another family. My family and I were quite disappointed, until a volunteer from K-9 Lifesavers walked over to speak with us. She then brought us over to a shy 8-month-old mutt with the sweetest eyes. We all fell in love with him immediately and knew that he would be a part of our family. We couldn’t keep his name, Yoko, as my dad refused to have him named after the person who broke up the Beatles. Thus the name Revis was born.
During Revis’ first night home, we tried to have him sleep in a crate, but it didn’t work out. He barked and whined throughout the night. On the second night, we let him out and he slept nicely on his dog bed. Now, he has his own couch to sleep on. Revis was still shy in the first few months as well. It took him a while to adjust to his new home, but he eventually warmed up. Not everything was perfect. He became extremely protective over the house and unfortunately he bit a few people. We learned that positive reinforcement and encouraging people to take things slow with him really made the difference. Revis shows that every dog can overcome any challenges they may face. I recommend that pet owners take the time to work through them together!
