Did you watch Disney movies as a kid? This pup was named after Bambi’s bunny sidekick – Thumper. 
Just like the character, Thumper pounds his paw when he is excited. And nothing makes him happier than a good belly rub. But life wasn’t always like this. Getting petted used to be painful.
When Thumper was brought to the Cape Breton SPCA, the burning never stopped. More than half of his hair was missing. No energy or fur. Just flaming red skin.
Thumper was rushed in for urgent care where our veterinary team treated him to special baths and lifesaving medicine. You see, Thumper has hypothyroidism – it’s treatable but not curable. Because he was neglected for so long, his hair loss is permanent. But Thumper can feel his best with a thyroid replacement hormone for the rest of his doggie days.
Being a senior pupper, Thumper was placed in the SPCA Palliative Care Program.
The term palliative care, to some, is associated with dying… but this program is all about living. Thanks to generous donors, ongoing medication to keep Thumper healthy and happy is covered for life.
It was the very beginning of his fairy tale story. And then everything changed when Thumper met Laura Buchanan.
“I had been without a four-legged friend for close to a year when I decided to check the SPCA website,” Laura recalled. “Something was missing after the passing of my two senior Shelties, Fanci and Mya. I was just looking at his face, reading his bio, and I knew I HAD to at least meet him.”
Laura and her mum raced to the shelter. It was love at first sight.
“I like to think I march to the beat of my own drum,” grinned Laura. “I’m looking at this half fur, half skin dog. He looked like he was wearing a sweater… and I knew, ‘this guy is coming with me.’ We had to wait two days to go back and get him, and it felt like a week. I didn’t know it until we went in to get him that he was part of the program.”
For the first few days, Laura gave Thumper lots of space to decompress, explore, and learn his new digs. And then his adorable personality began to shine.
“Thumper has absolutely exceeded my expectations,” exclaimed Laura. “I just wanted to take this oddball home and love him, and
every day is a new, often funny, experience. He is social, smart as heck, and stubborn as a hangnail. He has different barks/howls for his moods. If you don’t say ‘hello’ to him as soon as you come in the door he will wail until you do. He also hops up and down on all his legs when I come home. He’s just a gem.”
Thumper is living life to the fullest with Laura. She even purchased a small set of steps for Thumper to get up on the couch.
“I would recommend to anyone to adopt a senior dog,” she shared. “It does hurt when they pass, but that just tells you how rewarding it was to have that pooch in your life! I will feel that pain a thousand times over to know that I had the unconditional love of an animal, and that I gave him the best life I could.”
“We don’t always know where they came from or how they were treated, but there is something about taking home a senior dog – an unspoken gratitude – when they know they’re safe and loved,” continued Laura. “Thumper is every bit as kooky as the day 
we took him home, but he’s a part of our family as if we got him as a pup. We are so very grateful for the opportunity the SPCA has provided with taking this senior boy home. We love him to the moon.”
People always talk about the magic of Disney, but to Thumper and Laura, the shelter was the happiest place on earth.
Dreams come true at the Nova Scotia SPCA.