I want to share our story about how far Luke has come. In the beginning, we questioned our sanity. Luke came home just a few months after we lost Kudo to cancer. We were still deep in the grieving process. How do you know when it’s time to bring another dog into your life? I don’t know the answer to that. What I do know is that Luke was in North Carolina, he needed a home, and his foster was coming to New Hampshire willing to provide a ride.

Deciding to bring Luke home wasn’t easy, but Brad and I ultimately said yes. We faced challenges from the start—the past year and a half has tested every ounce of our patience.
Luke is my wild man. He has more energy than wet Pop Rocks. We tried so hard to wear him out—after all, they say a tired dog is a good dog. But not in Luke’s case. A tired Luke became overtired, refusing to settle down, reacting to every sound or movement. Most nights, he’d end up wearing his muzzle. We had plenty of games and enrichment toys, but none of them helped him calm down. We knew we needed a different approach.

That’s when we signed up for Calm Canine with North Star Canine Connection. For Luke, this was absolutely the best decision we could have made. That was more than six months ago, and to this day, we still play the “quiet game” daily. The goal is simple: Luke lies down and does nothing—and he gets rewarded for it. It’s still challenging for him. He whines, rolls around, and fidgets, but he’s learning that being calm and relaxing earns cookies. We play this game everywhere to show Luke that doing nothing is actually something.

Training him wasn’t easy because he’s just so smart. We had to work hard to earn his trust. Those wide, uncertain eyes are mostly a thing of the past now. We’ve taken multiple classes and spent countless hours playing, learning, and growing together.

We still have baby gates all around our house, and if we leave our belongings out, Luke might have an accident, socks with no toes, jackets without pockets and shoes without laces. We know that’s on us—but it’s still tough in the moment. All we can do is our best.

Trust me when I say this wasn’t the easiest year of my life. But it was worth every struggle. Each difficult moment was matched by Luke showing just how much he loves us. Every morning he snuggles close and falls asleep knowing he’s safe. On adventures, he’s mostly off-leash with great recall. When we leave, he stays home with his enrichment toys, content and calm.

I’m sharing this because I want people to know that when you find the right training method for your dog, the sky’s the limit. Luke has his forever home. He’s safe, happy, and deeply loved. We’ll keep putting in the work, celebrating every small victory, and letting the little slips go—because they’re just part of the journey.

If you’re bringing a new dog home, remember that they need time to adjust and settle in. It took Luke more than a year to truly settle and feel content in our home.

Happy Holidays!

Erin & Brad Shedd