Ripley (Violet)Adopted by Dani Johnson & Ben Sarb – Oct 17, 2015 – Seattle, WA, USA
Ripley (formerly known as Violette) joined our family in October of 2015. We had wanted a dog for a long time, but we both worked full-time with 8-10 hour shifts and didn’t think it was fair to bring a dog into our lives until that changed. Lucky for us, Ben changed careers and ended up with a schedule much more conducive to raising a dog. Even luckier, Ripley ended up in the Seattle area right when we started our search for the perfect dog.Ripley was 7 months old when we adopted her; she had a lot of energy back then (and still does), but one thing that stood out to us from the beginning is just how calm and confident she is.
We don’t know much about how she came to be at Vafa, and prior to adopting her I expected that she might be easily startled or fearful of new things considering her background. But much to our surprise there’s very little that phases Ripley. Coffee grinder? Nope. Blender? Nope. Loud dryer signal? Nope. Vacuum? Occasionally, but as she’s barking she’s also play bowing, so I think she might just want to play.Ripley is very smart and a quick learner; she seems to really enjoy training, especially agility classes. She loves anything that squeaks but has never really figured out how to play fetch—she’d much rather just play “keep away”! Ripley still has a lot of energy and loves to play, but she is also surprisingly mellow and is just as happy napping on the couch as she is running around outside. We trust her implicitly with our cat and rabbit and is wonderful with children.Ben was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer last fall, and while we were initially worried that Ripley might get a bit stir-crazy being at home with Ben all day while he undergoes treatment, we needn’t have worried; it might sound a bit “new agey”, but it’s as if on some level Ripley understands what’s going on. Ever since Ben started treatment she’s been extra cuddly and affectionate with him; she also seems to know when he’s having a bad day and will just nap and entertain herself until I get home from work. Ripley has brought so much joy to us over the last 15 months and we are more grateful than ever to have her as a member of our family. There’s no doubt in our minds that she is the dog we were meant to have (and that we are the people she was meant to have) and we will be forever grateful to all of the courageous and kind-hearted people at Vafa who work so hard to help these incredible dogs.
