Hey there, Delilah Moon

Whether you’ve followed the Candice Says Instagram account for any length of time or whether you’ve only recently joined me here, you’re probably already familiar with the subject of this blog post. Either way, today I’d like to formally introduce you to one of the greatest loves of my life, my best friend, my kiddo, my heart dog: Delilah Moon Van Eeckhoven.

JUST THE TWO OF US

Bagel grew up with a few different pets and was quite accustomed to always having animals around. I, on the other hand, grew up with a hamster who hated me and one sweet dog.

We had discussed the possibility of pet ownership when we moved in together but there always seemed to be a reason not to make the commitment. Just a few weeks after I’d arrived in Schenectady, Bagel and I went for a drive and spent a Saturday morning walking through Washington Park in Albany. There were quite a few people out and about with their dogs and again we got to chatting about the possibility of adopting a pet. I wasn’t able to start working right away as I was waiting for my employment authorization to be approved, so I was looking at potentially three months of waiting around before I could actually start applying for jobs. This seemed like a good time to adopt a pet as I would have ample opportunity to work on house training, obedience training, and bonding during the day while Bagel was working, and then we could enjoy quality family time together in the evenings and on weekends.

We started looking up local animal shelters to see if they had any pets available that would be a good match for us. We didn’t want a dog that was too small; we agreed that we wanted a medium-sized dog at least. We weren’t too fussed about breed; we knew we’d recognize the right pupper when we saw it. Our apartment complex does have some weight, age, and breed restrictions so we had to be sure that whoever we adopted matched those criteria. It was a little tricky to find dogs young enough to still be ‘easy’ to train, but old enough that they weren’t still in their ‘puppy’ phase. Many shelter dogs are pit bull mixes or bully breed mixes which are, unfortunately, on the apartment complex’s restricted breed list, so that also made our search a little tricky.

We visited a dog at Mohawk Hudson Humane Society but it turned out not to be a good match for us and we didn’t have the best experience with the shelter staff which was so discouraging. We visited a few pet adoption events that some of the local shelters and rescues had going on but didn’t really find any dogs that were a good match there. If I’m honest, we were starting to feel like maybe we should stop looking for a while.

That was until the rainy Saturday morning of May 12 2018 when I came across the Animal Protective Foundation’s website and saw two dogs that seemed like they might be a good fit for us. One was listed as a Belgian Malinois called Delilah (we had absolutely no idea what breed that was at the time, and DNA testing would later reveal that she has 0% Belgian Malinois in her), and the other was a mixed breed that looked to have some Labrador in him, named Zeke. The shelter was close to home so we figured we’d head over and see if we could meet one or both of the dogs and if it didn’t work out, at least we’d tried once more. When we showed up to the shelter, we mentioned to the lady at the front desk that we had seen Delilah and Zeke on their site and that we were hoping to meet with one or both of them if possible. She asked a few questions about the time we would have available for training a new pet, whether or not we had any other pets at home, and one or two other questions, and then she asked us to wait around while she went to speak to their in-house trainer. When she came back, she said that they had a really good feeling that Delilah might be a good fit for us so we headed into a separate room and spoke with Sheila, the in-house trainer at the time, while we waited for them to bring Delilah in. While we waited, Sheila told us everything they knew about Delilah, which wasn’t very much at all. She had been found as a stray walking around Schenectady at the end of January (that’s one of the coldest times of year, and the thought of a dog being out on the streets in that weather broke my heart!), and they suspected that she was a little over a year old. Based on her extended stay at the shelter, they’d found that she had severe dog aggression and did not do well with other dogs at all, she had a tendency to resource guard food and toys, she did not have high toy drive but had a very high food drive, she did not like her paws being touched, she needed extensive obedience training and training to overcome resource guarding and dog aggression, and she needed crate training and LOADS of structure. The good news was that she was wonderful with people, extremely friendly, loving and affectionate, a fast learner, and very smart, and her adoption would come with some private lessons with a great trainer so we could work on her issues. After hearing the laundry list of issues this poor dog had, I was starting to worry that I wouldn’t have the skills needed for her in terms of the training and structure she so desperately required. But before I could get cold feet and back out, we heard the pitter-patter of paws walking through the door.

THEN SHE APPEARED

Delilah came right up to us to say hi; had she not been on leash, I know she would’ve come bounding towards us and jumped up to greet us! She whined with excitement when we bent down to pet her and she rubbed up against us and leaned into us, almost knocking us over. She had such a happy tail and such a friendly face with big ears and a goofy smile. We immediately felt happier in her presence. Sheila gave Delilah a squeaker toy to play with and when Bagel headed over to play with her, Sheila reminded him to be careful of just trying to take it away from Delilah due to her resource guarding issues. He took another toy up to her and said, ‘Can I see that one? Here, I’ll swap with you.’

Delilah didn’t show the slightest bit of resource guarding behavior, took the other toy from him while he picked up the one she’d been playing with, and she happily went on nibbling the new toy. She responded well to cookies and seemed to have some basic obedience commands down already which was encouraging. She responded well to Bagel and I, and didn’t seem to listen to either of us more than the other when we asked her to ‘sit’ or ‘down’. She was really a pleasure to interact with and that sense of panic I’d felt just a few minutes prior had dissipated. I thought to myself, ‘This dog has been through who knows what. She deserves a loving family and she’s only ever going to be as good as you help her be. It’s going to be a challenge, but look at everything you’ve overcome to make it to this point. You’ve got the time to work with her so make the most of it and make it work. You two can do it!’

They left Bagel and I alone for a moment while they took Delilah back to her kennel and we chatted things over. I told him I was up for the challenge if he was willing to be patient with Delilah and I and give us a chance, and he was (as always) totally supportive and encouraging. So that settled it, after almost six months of shelter life (and who knows how many months of living on the streets before that), Delilah was coming home with us to be our very own!

Happy Adoption Day, Delilah Moon! May 12 2018.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

Delilah’s first night at home with us went well; there was a poop-in-the-house incident but we were glad to get that out of the way early on so we could all move past it, haha! The next couple days were spent trying to provide the structure Delilah needed to settle in; regular walks, obedience training, lots of love and cuddles, plenty of time getting used to her crate, and mostly just getting used to each other. Sheila had suggested hand feeding and having Delilah train for her meals for the first week or so in order to help her get over her resource guarding issues when it came to food, but after about two days, we realized that she didn’t show any signs of resource guarding with us when it came to feedings so we only hand fed when specifically training.

Delilah’s first breakthrough in training around other dogs.

Photo: Alicia Paniccia

Delilah’s dog aggression was a definite problem; if she spotted another dog down the road, she would lunge, growl, and bark and she would remain fixated on the other dog long after we’d passed them. One particularly bad incident resulted in me spraining my finger; she was lunging at another dog across the street and my finger got caught in her leash. Thankfully, we got in touch with the trainer Sheila had suggested and I can honestly say that without Alicia we would not be anywhere near as capable as we are today. She was an absolute lifesaver; a wonderful balanced dog trainer with an incredible ability to read dogs and figure their behaviors out in order to work on them. I will never forget the first time we worked on Delilah’s dog aggression with the help of Alicia’s two dogs, Gunner and Avalanche. It was the first time I had ever seen Delilah able to sit that close to another dog without going nuts. I wept tears of joy at that lesson!

Alicia became more than just our dog trainer, now she’s one of my dearest and closest friends. Together, she and I worked hard with Delilah to get her to the point where she can actually play with other dogs; something that I honestly never thought I’d see. Spending time with Alicia, learning from her, and becoming a responsible and educated dog handler and owner really challenged me. Working with animals is not easy and people like Alicia who have this natural knack for it blow my mind. The time I spent training Delilah with Alicia’s guidance really changed the whole trajectory of my life moving forward because it awakened a part of me that I never knew existed; this dog mom person who wasn’t grossed out by dog poop or vomit or being drooled on when training, and who really liked and enjoyed training her dog and seeing very real results because of that hard work. It was such a great feeling to see my girl thriving and growing and changing into the awesome dog we knew she could be. Aside from the wonderful feeling of having a well-behaved dog we can take most anywhere and is a joy for others to be around because she’s well trained, I realized that I felt a massive sense of fulfilment thanks to the work I was doing with Delilah. It made me think about how I could inject a bit of that feeling into other facets of my life.

Reo, Ellie, and Ridgelee

Reo, Ridgelee, and Blakely

WORK IT

Relocating and taking a bit of a break from the working world gave me a chance to think about what I might want to do in terms of my career moving forward. I found myself in an extremely fortunate position where I could do things part time and try different sorts of jobs to see what I enjoyed doing as opposed to having to work hard at a job I maybe wasn’t so crazy about just because I desperately needed the income. I did some freelance writing work for a couple months but I wasn’t really enjoying the content I was working on and found myself rushing through it so I could go out and walk Delilah or work on some of her training instead. I decided to create a Rover account and try pet-sitting and dog walking a few times a week to make some cash. I met one amazing family, the Mayos, who hired me to spend time with their dogs every weekday. Unfortunately, clients like these were hard to come by as many were just looking for a one-time pet sitter for their weekend away, or they were looking for someone to do a bunch of overnight stays with their pets which I wasn’t keen on. Thankfully, Chris and Serenna were understanding of my availability regarding pet-sitting; they were so flexible and really some of the loveliest clients I’ve had the pleasure to work with. Their dogs are so dear to my heart; Ellie, Reo, and, Ridgelee were friendly and affectionate from the first time I met them. They each had such different personalities and quirks which I found adorable. Sadly, Ellie passed away a few months after I’d started our daily visits but after some time, little Blakely slotted right into the family. 

Over the summer of 2018, the Animal Protective Foundation hosted a crafters market event to raise funds for the shelter; Bagel and I wanted to support the event and let the shelter know that Delilah was doing well since being adopted so the three of us headed over for a few hours. There was a stall there advertising in-home pet-sitting and dog walking by a small local business called The Strutting Pooch. We visited their stall and they told us a bit about their services, and when we got home from the event I decided to shoot them an email to find out if they were hiring. I was in luck; they called me the next day to set up an interview and training day, and I joined the team. I met some amazing pets while working at The Strutting Pooch; and even though I probably shouldn’t admit it, I had my favorites!

I’ve been so lucky to be able to keep in touch with many of my favorite pups and their owners. One of my best pals is Justice, the sweetest hound mix; he might have insulinoma but it never slows this happiest boy down. He and I used to go on long walks three days a week and work on his tricks in exchange for treats afterwards; he would do just about anything for a cookie!

My last visit with sweet Justice.

Justice; The happiest hound boy on one of our many treasured walks together.

Charlie and Bowie taking a break from playtime just long enough to pose for a picture.

Charlie (Chucklebee, Fluffball, Chuckles, and other silly nicknames) became my best Bernedoodle buddy when he was just six or seven months old. I watched him grow into the most handsome, well-behaved dog; we used to take long walks around his owners’ gorgeous property and practiced all his tricks at the end of every visit. A few months before I left The Strutting Pooch, he was joined by his perfect fluffball sister, Bowie. She’s so playful and goofy; the perfect companion to keep Chuck from being too serious!

Kisses from my Chucklebee always make me smile.

Rosie is always so eager to please and show off with a handshake.

Rosie, my very cautious girl, is a Goldendoodle who takes a long time to warm up to you but once she does, you’re besties for life! The first 25 minutes of our first visit together was spent with me trying to lure her in with treats just so I could pet her and show her I was nice. She was skittish and fearful but once I was able to give her chin scratches and cuddles, we were inseparable.

One of many treasured snuggles with sweet Rosie girl.

I met so many special animals and their lovely owners during my time with The Strutting Pooch, but the job involved a great deal of travel in all weather conditions, often late at night, on holidays and weekends, and financially it just wasn’t working out. So, in July of 2019, I took the wonderful experiences and handling skills I’d honed for almost a year, and made the tough decision to say goodbye to all my favorite four-legged friends and make some new friends at the Animal Health Center as a Kennel Technician.

I’ve met loads of sweet animals at the Animal Health Center, and working with people again after having only had animals for company for a very long time has been a nice change of pace. Aside from a few favorite daycare pups, the best part of my job has been that Delilah gets to come to work with me most days and it’s been absolutely mind-blowing to watch her make friends and play with so many other dogs at daycare. When I tell you that’s something I never thought I would see, I’m not exaggerating. Alicia and I often say we wish we had videos of how reactive Delilah used to be around other dogs because when we tell people how bad it was, they never believe us looking at how good she is now. It warms my heart so much knowing that Delilah changed the entire trajectory of my working life by showing me how much I could love working with animals. I love that she gets to make new friends and enjoy healthy, safe, supervised experiences with other dogs because of the hard work we put in together. The fact that she gets to be part of my work day most every day is just so awesome and something that I’m exceptionally grateful for. In August of this year, I transitioned out of my role as a Kennel Technician into my new role as a Client Service Representative; while I won’t be supervising Delilah’s playtimes anymore, I’ll still be walking into work with my best girl at my side, knowing she’s just one room over when I need to see her happy face on my lunch break.

MY WOLF PACK

If ever you should move somewhere new and find yourself worrying about how to make friends, my advice to you is to adopt a dog. So many of my dearest friends are people I’ve met through adopting Delilah Moon!

Troy adventures with Alicia.

Brunch with Molly at our favorite waffle spot.

Alicia was her trainer and became my dear friend soon after; she took the time to show me some of the prettiest hiking spots and yummiest restaurants in the capital region. And she introduced me to Molly, Christian, and Kiki over time.

Molly is my natural living and health and wellness guru and I am constantly learning about a more natural and chemical-free approach to life from this awesome girl.

Christian helped me out when I decided to transition Delilah to a raw feeding diet and showed me cost-effective options for this pricey exercise. His handsome dog, Dozer, was Delilah’s first love but I don’t know if he’ll be her last with all her boyfriends at daycare!

Christian and Dozer goofing around.

Kiki is my number one hype girl, my cheerleader, and the strong woman I channel on the inside when I need to buckle up and get shit done. She’s an amazing dog mom to Sarge and Sophie, and she shares great tips on training, nail trimming, and dog gear with me all the time.

I met all my best work pals at the veterinary hospital thanks to Delilah helping me realize I’d like to work with animals. One of my best friends from the vet is Anna, who has her own pet-sitting business called Paws & Affect; she house-sat and took care of Delilah for us during our recent adventure to Alaska and loved on our girl so well that we were convinced she was going to forget who we were by the time we came home, haha!

One of my favorite days ever with Kiki and the rest of the gang.

Stephanie is our unofficial kennel queen and another of Delilah’s favorite people. She has such a passion for animals and remains cool as a cucumber under the pressures of working in a super busy kennel environment; she was an amazing mentor to me when she trained me as a kennel tech. She’s also one of the ‘cat whisperers’ at the animal hospital with a knack for dealing with vicious kitties.

Julia has years of experience working with all kinds of animals. She’s a tough cookie who knows how to read animal behavior and that makes her an incredible handler. She is also one of the ‘cat whisperers’ of the animal hospital and has escaped many fractious cat encounters unscathed! She’s a wonderful dog mom to Delilah’s buddy, Norm, and she can tell you where to buy the best dog gear around.

DELILAH’S WOLF PACK

Our girl has grown into quite the social butterfly thanks to training and hard work on socialization. But just like her Mama, she has her favorites, hehe!

Sadie, Zoe, Lily, Bama, Delilah, and Dillon.

Our favorite Harry boy.

Harry’s a playful, trouble-making Vizsla who inspires her zoomies during playtimes and nips at her playfully while they chase each other around the playroom. Harry is one of my favorites too; we bonded a ton when I worked in kennels.

Jack and Ally are two very special kids and daycare regulars. Ally’s one of Delilah’s only gal pals, and one of her favorite napping buddies. Jack is Delilah’s boyfriend (her favorite one anyway); they’re always happy to see each other and have been known to spend playtimes smooching.

Norm’s a big goofball and an even bigger softy! He’s very submissive even though he’s one of the only dogs as big as Delilah in daycare. The two of them love to discuss their collar and leash collections as they’re the best dressed daycare dogs!

Delilah, Jack, and Ally.

Dozer and Delilah.

Dozer is Delilah’s first love; they had a bit of a rocky start when they first met (as stubborn, dominant Shepherds do) but now they’re good friends and Dozer can’t wait to greet her as soon as she hops out of the car when we visit at his house. Their love of food and marrow bones is the glue that holds them together.

MORE DELILAH MOON LATER

There are endless things I could tell you about our beloved girl, and I intend to share more with you for sure. But rather than try to fit all things Delilah Moon into just one blog post, we’ll end it here and share more another day.

You did it, you met (through your screen at least) Delilah Moon Van Eeckhoven. And you’ve had a glimpse of just how much she’s changed my life thus far. Thank you for taking the time to learn as much as you have about our journey together up until now, we’re excited to share more with you soon.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments about Delilah and/or this post, please feel free to reach out via email; we’d love to hear from you!

Until next time, keep safe and take care.

C

xo