Around eight years ago, Shirley Y. was walking her dog Odie when a little stray kitten sprang out of thin air. She came out of hiding to say hello to the passing couple despite being obviously very frightened and scared. Shirley quickly realised the little kitten had picked her and Odie because she and Odie got along so well. She gave her the name Leeloo and decided right away to take her home.
With the assistance of her two older dog brothers, Odie and Joey, Leeloo gradually learnt to trust and be brave after first being extremely wary of people. When Leeloo was with her brothers, she felt comfortable, and they helped her realise that the outside world wasn’t so terrifying after all.
Shirley, who requested that her last name not be used, said to The Dodo, “I do think she was abused in the past as a stray cat.” To keep her existence a secret, she would conceal. She picked me and Odie when we passed by for some reason and she loved us. Odie served as her security blanket.
Since Leeloo and her brothers had such a close relationship, her mother began bringing her along when they went hiking, which was a favourite pastime of theirs. Leeloo was initially a little hesitant, but as she followed her brothers’ example, she quickly became an expert hiker.
Leeloo was so heartbroken when Odie and Joey died a few years ago that Shirley ultimately decided to adopt another puppy. She had hoped that the newest member of their family would be as close to Leeloo as Joey and Odie were, but initially, things didn’t go as she had intended.
From a large shelter in California, Brody was flown to a rescue organisation in Washington. The small Jack Russell terrier had been adopted and returned after a week, but he had a lot of behavioural problems before Shirley came across him. Despite his problems, Shirley decided to give Brody a chance and took him in as a member of her family.
The first indication that Brody was destined to become a member of Shirley’s family came when Shirley took him for his very first hike when they were on the way home from the rescue.
Brody did not like Leeloo at all when they first met, despite the fact that Leeloo was really eager to meet him. He didn’t realise that he and Leeloo were intended to be pals because of his extremely strong prey drive. But Leeloo wasn’t intimidated, and when the two of them began going on walks together, Brody unexpectedly developed a completely new perspective on Leeloo.
Leeloo had to work hard to make Brody impressed, Shirley remarked. He has probably never before seen a cat go hiking and show him so many thrills that are still to come.
Soon, Brody and Leeloo became the closest of friends, and Brody started to imitate Leeloo, inadvertently picking up doggie mannerisms from his cat sister. Because of how much she learnt from her two older dog brothers, Leeloo is the best teacher because she is now teaching her new best friend what she has learned.
He’s a strong child who lived without boundaries all his life, but Shirley remarked that Leeloo’s lectures and all the treks had helped him to become much more composed.
These days, Leeloo and Brody adore going on walks together. They go on leash-assisted hikes together, enjoy the view from cliffs next to one another, and occasionally even go swimming together. Both in the summer and the winter, they go on hikes. Brody has also towed Leeloo behind a sled in the past. For Leeloo and Brody, no excursion is too tremendous, and their mother is overjoyed with how far they have both come.
When they were originally adopted, they were quite different people, but through hiking and their relationships with one another, they have been able to grow into the magnificent animals they were always meant to be.
