‘They just need some time and love’
First-time author Yogyata Suri hopes children’s book leaves a legacy for her rescue pup that has a terminal cancer diagnosis
Like her namesake, Ladybug is skittish and quick to take off when she’s afraid. She also has a spotted tongue.
Her adoption profile said “she did not have much love before now.” The three-year-old Shar Pei mix was rescued from a San Antonio, Texas, shelter minutes before she was set to be euthanized.
When she first arrived at Niagara Dog Rescue, she was “terrified.”
“She was so scared,” said Yogyata Suri, who adopted Ladybug with her husband, Harjit, in May 2020. “She was all the way in the back of her crate, and it took four volunteers to bring her out.”
In a new kids’ book, “Ladybug the Shy Rescue Dog,” first-time author Suri tells their adoption story.
In simple rhymes, Suri, a former early-childhood educator, paints a portrait of Ladybug — her fears and favourite activities, like squirrels, hikes and walks with her friends — and the challenges and rewards of rescuing a dog.
She hopes her book will encourage families to consider rescuing, not buying, their next pet.
“They can be shy, but they come around,” she said. “They just need some time and love.”
Suri, 30, grew up around dogs, but only learned about pet adoption as an adult.
“I’ve had family dogs before, but they always had those happy, wagging tails,” she said. “I didn’t really grow up with an idea of what a rescue dog is.”
When the couple first brought Ladybug home, she was a flight risk, hid under tables and had to be carried up their townhouse stairs, which she didn’t know how to use.
Armed with patience, cheese — her favourite food — and the determination to give their dog another chance at happiness, Suri and her husband worked hard to build trust. Ladybug’s confidence slowly grew, and she became comfortable in her new Mountain home with a small pack of friends, also rescues.
“We used to go to Home Depot and Canadian Tire and Winners just to get her some exposure to people,” she said. “She’s still scared now, too, but not as much as she used to be.”
In December, Ladybug was diagnosed with incurable mammary carcinoma, a type of cancer.
“That really broke our hearts because she was doing so well,” Suri said. “It was just a very hard time for our family.”
Because Ladybug doesn’t like being handled by strangers, the couple decided against chemotherapy. Instead, they are focusing on keeping her happy during this phase of her journey, which Suri has been sharing on Instagram.
Earlier this month, a veterinarian told them the cancer had further spread and that she only had a few weeks to live.
Suri hopes sharing her story will “build a legacy” for Ladybug.
“Through a book, she will live on forever and people will get to know her,” she said.
The book was published on March 22 and, for two days after its launch in early April, was the No. 1 bestselling children’s books on dogs on Amazon. It made the online seller’s list of top 100 books.
But Suri, who is already working on a second book, defines success differently.
“If I can get one person to consider rescuing because of the book, I would think of that as a huge success,” she said.
To read more about Ladybug, visit LadybugTheRescue.com.