Mary Potter has always loved animals. When she and her husband Bill lost their beloved dog Kane in September 2023, it was heartbreaking. Kane’s last years were challenging – for him and for Mary and Bill. They knew they’d eventually adopt another dog but thought they’d give their hearts time to heal.
Retired for five years, Mary started volunteering with several different organizations, but felt she had the capacity to do more. This spring, she began volunteering at the King’s County SPCA. Mary explains “I thought that giving my time there would fulfill my desire to help out a bit more and also help to fill a bit of the void left by Kane’s passing.”
Mary signed up for a weekly shift at the shelter as a dog walker. Little did she know that the first dog she would meet and take for a walk on her very first shift would become the love of her life!
Seven-year old Caesar was a long-term resident at the shelter and was loved by everyone there. Despite his imposing size, Caesar was a big teddy bear. Mary recalls “I think I was steered to Caesar by Grace, the Volunteer Coordinator because he was so easy-going. One of my first questions was ‘Is he a Cane Corso’? My daughter has a Cane Corso named Siren and I just love her. When we moved to Nova Scotia from Ontario, I said to folks, only half-jokingly, that Siren is one of the things I miss the most about leaving!”
It didn’t take long for Caesar to steal Mary’s heart. “When I came in for my shift one week, I was disappointed that Caesar wasn’t there; he was having eye surgery,” says Mary. “This was the third time he had undergone this procedure. I learned from the staff that Caesar would require three types of eye drops for the balance of his life and he would need a special diet for skin allergies.”
Each week Mary walked Caesar over the next two months, she was shocked that no one had scooped this adorable fellow up. She shares “I would tell my daughter Lauren about my amazing interactions with Caesar — along with the fact that he was a ‘special needs’ dog. Lauren was the first to say to me, ‘You should adopt him!’”
Now Mary just needed to convince Bill that the time was right to adopt Caesar. Mary chuckles, “I can be both persuasive and persistent and when Bill saw what a lovable good boy Caesar was, we knew he was meant for us.” On June 15th, after 87 days of love and care at the shelter, Caesar headed to his forever home.
“From the minute Caesar jumped into our vehicle, he became one of the family,” says Bill. “We live on the Bay of Fundy and Caesar loves sitting on the deck by the water or lying in the grass, sniffing the sea air. He also enjoys chewing a big orange ball that came with him from the shelter and chasing squirrels (he has poor eyesight so thankfully he’ll never catch one!). He also adores snuggling. You can be having coffee, reading, or watching tv; Caesar positions himself with his head on your lap and then wriggles until most of his 122-pound body is sitting on you! Oh, and he loves car rides. Last week friends came to visit in a rental car. When they left, Caesar assumed they were going to take him for a car ride. He kept trying to get in!”
The couple says that they still miss Kane but Caesar is so affectionate that he has helped their hearts to heal. Mary elaborates “Older animals, and animals who have been in a shelter for a long time just need someone to love them and commit to them. They are looking for their special person (or persons) and are so appreciative to have a loving home. Caesar is now 8 years old and he’s a big boy, so we don’t know how many years he’ll be with us. We plan to enjoy every day we have with him and will continue to show him love, every single day. We get love back from him in equal measure.”
Mary still volunteers weekly at the shelter. She shares an important lesson she has learned…….”Sometimes, a dog has been in the shelter for a few weeks or more. You become attached to them and look forward to seeing them when you attend the next time. You come for your shift and the dog is no longer there. I’ve learned that you need to appreciate each dog in the moment and be happy that often the reason they’re no longer there is because they’ve been adopted. One of the other volunteers told me once that his goal is to brighten the day of the dogs he walks every week. That’s become my goal too.”