Meeting Bandit wasn’t exactly a warm welcome.
In fact, the two-year-old Great Pyrenees Labrador mix made it clear he wasn’t rolling out the welcome mat for Josh Ford and Gina Crossman.
But sometimes the best stories don’t start with tail wags and kisses.
The couple from Greenwood, Nova Scotia had been searching for the right dog for a while, looking for one that “spoke” to them. When Josh saw Bandit’s photo on the Nova Scotia SPCA website last year, something clicked. He wasn’t just another dog up for adoption – there was something in his eyes that told Josh this was the one.
Still, the Colchester Shelter staff were upfront. Bandit was incredibly shy, not a big people person, and would need time to trust. The first meeting didn’t go well. He barked, shook, and wouldn’t even let Josh make eye contact without growing anxious. Though instead of being discouraged, Josh felt even more certain. 
“The first words out of my mouth were, I don’t care how many visits this takes, I want to take him home,” he said.
And so began a routine of long drives from the Valley to the Colchester Shelter – more than two hours each way – just to spend a little time with a dog who wasn’t sure he wanted their company. Between Josh and Gina, they logged almost a dozen visits, each one inching a little closer to Bandit’s trust. On visit number twelve, the breakthrough came. Bandit let them in – and that day, he was going to finally see his new home.
The drive was a bit nerve-racking. Getting Bandit into the car took patience, and once they were on the road, he barked at nearly every passing vehicle. When they arrived home, he refused to go near the doorway, so Josh scooped up all 70 pounds of him and carried him inside. But once Bandit saw food, water, and a soft bed, his guard began to drop. Within a couple of days, he was exploring the house, looking for attention, and leaning on his new humans for comfort.
“At the shelter, he was so nervous, and it took him a while to get comfortable with us. But at the house, those nerves went away, and he warmed up quickly,” Josh said.
Within weeks, Bandit was unrecognizable from the dog they first met. He became more confident with strangers and even around other dogs. At Christmas, Josh and Gina had planned to skip visiting family in PEI – being the protective and concerned parents, they didn’t want to overwhelm him. But seeing his progress, they decided to try. The moment they arrived, Bandit walked right up to Josh’s parents and greeted them like old friends.
“He is a completely different dog now,” Josh said.
From that point on, everything shifted – walks became easier, encounters with people and dogs less stressful, and home turned into a place where he felt completely at ease.
“This is his castle now,” Josh laughed. “We just live in it.”
Bandit’s personality blossomed. He adores rope toys – though mostly to shred them – and has a special joy for liver treats. He’s picky about his meals, preferring a bit of wet food mixed in, and will give a look of pure disappointment if it’s missing. When they first adopted him, Bandit wore an anxiety sweater almost all the time. Now, he’s confident enough to go without it – a small but meaningful sign of how far he’s come. 
One of Josh’s favourite moments came when Gina was reunited with Bandit after a long, extended time away from home. Worried he might have forgotten her, she was instead welcomed by a wagging tail, dancing happy feet, and a white furball galloping straight for her in pure joy.
“It was definitely one of those cliché reunion moments,” Josh said. “It was adorable.”
For Josh and Gina, Bandit is their first dog together, but they’ve both had dogs all their lives. This one was full of challenges, though. The journey to this point may have been a rollercoaster, full of nerves and patience, but Josh said he wouldn’t change anything.
“He’s a dream dog for me, and I know for Gina as well,” Josh said.
Someday, they might bring another dog into the castle, but for now, Bandit is king – and he’s living happily ever after.