They say we are a reflection of the people we surround ourselves with. And sometimes, that reflection comes in the form of a four-legged companion with a cheese obsession and ears that once outgrew her head.
When Brittany Maude and her husband Larry adopted Ahsoka, a Husky and German Shepherd mix formerly known as Portia from the SPCA’s Dartmouth shelter in August 2023, they weren’t just giving a dog a second chance. They were opening the door to something that would change their lives.
Just months before, Brittany and Larry had moved from Ontario to Nova Scotia following the loss of a beloved family member. Soon after, Brittany’s father passed away suddenly. She dealt with the weight of grief, paired with anxiety and depression while Larry worked long hours.
The loneliness of the empty house is what prompted Brittany to begin the search for a new animal friend.
“Growing up, I always had a dog, so living without one just didn’t seem right,” she says.
She had been keeping an eye on shelter websites, waiting for a dog to catch her eye. Then she saw a photo of a puppy named Portia.
“It was honestly love at first sight. I thought she was the cutest little thing. We drove almost an hour from Truro to meet her, and I fell even more head over heels,” says Brittany. “She was energetic, friendly, and had the cutest floppy ears.”
This special pup started showing off her personality before they even left the shelter.
“She was trying to eat rocks in the parking lot,” Brittany laughs. “And she crawled into my lap and let me hold her like she belonged there. I knew right away she was going to be my girl.”
With her confident, playful energy and her strong breed mix, Brittany felt the name Portia didn’t quite fit.
“We’re huge Star Wars fans, and Ahsoka Tano is my all-time favourite female character. She’s headstrong, resilient, stubborn, but also kind and compassionate. All qualities that seemed to fit her,” says Brittany.
And so she joined her new family and became Ahsoka.
The first few days home were the beginning of the deep bond Ahsoka would develop with her family. She settled in right away and was a superstar with potty training and sleeping in her crate.
“She slept on my chest when I laid with her on the couch,” Brittany says. “She was so happy and so comfortable almost immediately.”
Brittany’s cats were less than impressed with Ahsoka when they first met her. But Ahsoka loved them right away and just wanted to play.
Ahsoka’s family have absolutely fallen in love with her personality. “She’s a little wild, but she’s incredibly smart,” says Brittany.
Around age six months, Ahsoka’s ears sprang up and looked huge in comparison to her head. “Every single person that saw her was always saying ‘Wow, look at those ears! They’re massive!’” says Brittany. “Ahsoka has grown into her ears now but she still has her puppy energy.”
Ahsoka also loves food, her stuffed animal toys, tug of war, fetch, playing in the snow and finding big sticks on her walks that she can carry around. She also adores a good car ride, especially if it takes her to Tim Hortons for a plain Timbit treat.
She has even learned to use talking buttons to tell her humans what she needs. She can use them to ask for “outside,” “walk,” or “ice” because she loves eating ice cubes from the freezer. “She’s also a cheese addict,” says Brittany. “She makes me pay the ‘cheese tax’ any time I’m cooking.”
Ahsoka has a big heart for her family and can sense when someone in the house is feeling off. “She’s there immediately to offer kisses and snuggles when someone needs it, especially for me,” says Brittany.
Ahsoka loves to snuggle so much that she gets jealous when her family does it without her. “We can’t sit on the couch together without Ahsoka squeezing in between us. She loves to cuddle in the bed too,” says Brittany.
One of Brittany’s favourite memories is when Ahsoka was home alone for barely 15 minutes and managed to get into a bag of flour and paint the entire house with it, plus cover her face and paws in it.
“It was honestly the most ridiculous thing and just seeing her covered in flour had me in tears from laughing so hard. I called her mess ‘art’ and she was the ‘artist’,” she says.
Even though she has the perfect family now, Ahsoka was actually adopted and returned once before Brittany and Larry found her. But that history didn’t phase them at all.
“To me, she was perfect. Giving up on her and sending her back wasn’t an option,” says Brittany.
Ahsoka may have been adopted to help fill a void, but she’s done so much more than that.
“She’s changed my life,” Brittany says. “She’s my best friend. I don’t know where I’d be without her.”
When Larry’s at work, Ahsoka is there. On walks, on the couch, curled at Brittany’s feet while she cooks. Always present, always watching, always loving.
“To anyone thinking about adopting, I’d say: shelter dogs deserve love, and in return, they’ll give you everything. Make an informed decision, and don’t give up on them,” says Brittany. “She’s brought so much light to our lives, and we will be forever grateful to the Dartmouth SPCA for trusting us to be her forever home.”