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Sunny's transformation

August 04, 2025Trimarni

From Shelter Dog to

Compassionate Healer

I'd like to (re)introduce you to Sunny. On July 27th 2024, Sunny was picked up by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control in North Carolina after being abandoned in an apartment. After spending a few days alone (along with another dog) in the apartment, he spent a few more days behind bars at the shelter. Sadly, this shelter is a high kill shelter (meaning intentional euthanasia) due to limited resources and overcrowding. Thankfully, a wonderful volunteer (Meghan) heard about Sunny (formerly named Hubert by Meghan) in the shelter and fostered him until early September. We said good bye to Campy on July 18th, 2024 and by the end of August, we were ready to welcome a new furry canine to our family. We came across this picture of Sunny (his freedom ride from the shelter) and instantly fell in love with him.

I feel like he's saying "I"m outta here - hit the gas pedal!"

After meeting Sunny for a 3-day "stay-cation" at our house, we were ready to make it official. On August 30th, we signed the paperwork and paid the adoption fee. On September 13th, we picked up Sunny to take him to his forever home. He got neutered shortly after he arrived home. We don't know his exact birthday so we gave him a birthday of March 20th - the first day of spring. Sunny is now 2 years and 5 months old. We named him Sunny because he radiates sunshine and we needed some light in our life after saying good bye to Campy after over 16 years together.

We were really excited for our first trip together. We brought Sunny with us to Chattanooga for the Ironman. Campy came everywhere with us and we were really looking forward to making new memories with Sunny. However, Sunny started to be a handful for us and we needed my mom to "babysit" Sunny because we knew he couldn't be left alone in the Airbnb and we didn't feel comfortable with him in large crowds.

Knowing that it takes time for a rescue dog to settle into a new environment, we quickly picked up on some concerning signs of anxiety and fear. Sunny became very reactive to dogs. He would bark excessively out of fear and would compulsively dig (into blankets or the ground) when he felt anxious. Perhaps Sunny was not ready for his first trip as it was all a bit overwhelming for him. And to make things worse, when we returned home, we were without power for 10 days due to the Hurricane and the sound of generators throughout our neighborhood was not helping Sunny feel relaxed. We worried that Sunny would never feel comfortable in large crowds and in chaotic and unpredictable environments. We wanted to travel with Sunny and bring him with us but we lacked the knowledge of how to best train him.

Laying the Foundation: Trust and Training

I did a lot of research on "dog trainers" in our area as we had no prior experience. We had Campy for over 16 years and he was not the most well behaved dog (he was extremely protective of me) but he was only 10 lbs so I could quickly pick him up and distract him. Sunny was 16 lbs and his anxiety and reactiveness was hard to handle. In October, we were ready to hire the experts.

After a lot of discussions, Karel and I decided on Dog Upstate Elite . We chose the Gold Elite package which included 5 days of "school" at the facility in Piedmont, SC from 9-4pm and then 6-months of group classes. This package was expensive but we felt it was a necessary investment for us and Sunny. The trainers utilize an e-collar which had me worried but after doing more research and seeing how the trainers worked with Sunny, we learned that through this training, we were not losing Sunny but gaining Sunny's true personality. Throughout the week of his school, we dedicated time every day to working with Sunny and making sure to use his e-collar (which is a vibrating collar, similar to an e-stem device that athletes and therapists use on muscles) as a positive reinforcement training tool. I'll never forget the first time I took Sunny to an event (Hincapie Gran Fondo expo) after his week of school and I couldn't believe how well behaved he was. We then walked in downtown Travelers Rest and he was behaving so well off the leash for a picture. And then we met a friendly dog in our neighborhood for the first time. All of this was happening in less than a week!

I was lead to believe that dogs need a lot of exercise to wear them out or that treat-training was the way to go. But not for Sunny. Sunny needed tasks. He needed a leader to guide him. He needed to build trust. He wanted to learn. He wanted to please.

Similar to a person with anxiety (I can relate), when the mind goes spiraling out of control with fears and worries, the brain needs activities to shift the focus. Sunny was exhausted after each day at school, not from physical exercise but from using his brain. He loved working on his commands. Everyday was a game. And after school each day, he enjoyed a delicious "reward" bone from a great day of obedience training.

Between me and Sunny, we built a very strong connection through his training. For the next six months (November until April), Sunny and I attended almost every Thursday evening class from 6-7pm. We would work on all types of skills and behaviors in a group setting - along with 8-10 other dogs. Week after week, month after month, Sunny was building his confidence and we were developing a strong communication system together. Karel would continue to work on Sunny's training throughout the week and we also taught my mom how to use his clicker (and commands) so that Sunny was always receiving the same words when he was asked to do something Sunny mastered the core commands - sit, down, come, off, heel and place - and was excelling with commands off the leash. He could easily handle distractions like loud noises, moving objects, strangers and dogs. He learned to love all people (especially children) and can stay calm and controlled in chaotic environments. Karel and I worked really hard with Sunny's obedience but it was Sunny who was showing us that he just needed direction.

Sunny impressed us everyday. After 6 months of consistent work, I noticed that people would smile at Sunny when we were in public and I would get kind remarks from strangers. It was new to me to hear that I had such a well-behaved dog. Sunny's calmness around strangers, impulse control, patience in public, control in crowded corridors and tolerance of loud noises had me thinking that Sunny was made to be a therapy dog. I did some research about therapy dog training and certification and in June, we started the next chapter.

Sunny the soon-to-be therapy dog

Although I have nothing but nice and wonderful things to say about Dog Training Elite, I thought a new change of pace and trainer would be a good stimulus for Sunny. I reached out to K9 Off Leash and hired Alyssa to help Sunny with his therapy dog certification. I purchased an 8-week package and every week we would go somewhere for Sunny to practice his skills and to get more comfortable in new environments. Alyssa was helpful to provide quick cues for Sunny and how we should interact with strangers. We went to Downtown Greenville, we went to different stores (ex. Lowe's, At Home), we went to a gym, we went to parks. In between sessions I take Sunny to different events and places to further help him with his skills. One of our favorite visits was at the cycling adaptive center where adaptive individuals were getting fitted for bikes. After 6 visits of his therapy training, Sunny started to do his skills without his collar. E-collars are not allowed in therapy visits. Sunny does not wear his e-collar all the time but we do use it as a way to communicate with him when we are outside or in noisy/busy places, especially when he is off the leash.

On Monday, Sunny and I met with a volunteer instructor with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Sunny had his first exam at a local pet store and he passed. On Tuesday, we went to the adaptive cycling center and Sunny passed his second observation. On Wednesday we went to the Woodlands assisted living home and Sunny passed his third observation. Since Sunny passed all of his required observations, I was able to send in his paperwork to be approved by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs to become a certified therapy dog.

Once Sunny is officially certified by the Alliance, he can visit schools, nursing homes, offices/centers, and medical facilities (wherever therapy dogs are allowed) to offer comfort, distract from anxiety and help people calm their nerves and fears.

Sunny is our rescue dog turned therapy dog. He has helped us heal from the loss of Campy and now he can help others. I wasn't able to share my soul-dog Campy with very many people and now I am proud to share Sunny with anyone who needs him.

Sunny wasn't born for therapy, he was made for it. Through time, patience, consistent training and the belief that a dog's beginning doesn't define its future, we couldn't be more proud of our Sunny Bunny 🐕❤️

If Sunny's story touched you, please consider donating or helping at Sunny's former shelter.
🐾 How you can help:
✔ Adopt – Give a loving pet a forever home.
✔ Foster – Even a short-term commitment can save lives.
✔ Staycation - For up to 10 days, you can take a dog out of the shelter with no strings attached. Whether you’re considering adopting or just want to give a pup a break, staycations are a great way to make a difference.
✔ Spread the word – Encourage others to adopt/foster at high-kill shelters.
✔ Donate

Why it matters: Without immediate help, the shelter faces extremely difficult decisions. Emptying kennels is critical to prevent overcrowding and to keep every pet safe and healthy.

📍 Location: 8315 Byrum Dr., Charlotte, NC
🕒 Open M-F from 11 AM – 7 PM, Weekends 9 AM - 5 PM

tags Sunny, rescue dog, therapy dog

2025 IMLP Spectating

July 27, 2025Trimarni

Photo by Angela.

We recently took our 6th trip to Lake Placid, NY.

Lake Placid holds a special place in our heart for several different reasons. Ironman Lake Placid was Karel's first Ironman in 2013 and our first Ironman together. It was the first Ironman that I participated in after my dad was diagnosed with cancer and had undergone extensive spinal surgery due to the cancer spreading to his spine. Karel had his only DNF in Lake Placid in 2015 when he went into the race with a torn plantar. Karel has raced IMLP 4 times and I have raced 3 times. We decided to move to Greenville after 2013 IMLP as we fell in the love with the mountains. Lastly, we made the long drive to Lake Placid three times so that we could bring Campy with us. This recent trip was a bit emotional as Friday was the one-year since we said good bye to Campy.

Karel was supposed to race Lake Placid this year but he has had some complications after two knee surgeries (meniscus trims) so he deferred to 2026. Since we had 9 athletes racing, we decided to make the trip to support our athletes. And this time we would make new memories with Sunny.

Tuesday

We started our long 16 hour drive early on Tuesday morning. We made a stop in DC to stay with our athlete Morgan. We had a nice pizza dinner with several of our DC athletes. Sunny enjoyed playing with Morgan's dogs (Cheddar and Gossip).

Wednesday

We finished the drive on Wednesday morning (we left before 6am and arrived around 3:30pm) and checked into our Airbnb at the Snowshoe Lodge. During our drive, I ordered some groceries from Hannaford online (Instacart) and they were delivered in the evening. This location was perfect as it was only a ~1/2 mile walk to the lake and right on the run course. After we unloaded our stuff, we walked to Mirror Lake and was joined by our professional athletes Yannick and Katie for an open water swim. Since Karel and I don't leave Sunny alone when we travel, we took turns. I swam a loop (1.2 miles) and then Karel swam a loop. After the swim we all ate dinner at the brewery across the lake.

Thursday

On Thursday morning, I left around 7am for a ride on the IMLP bike course (53.5 miles from our Airbnb). I enjoyed riding the Keene descent on my road bike and enjoying the scenery on the course. Lake Placid is incredibly beautiful and although the weather can be unpredictable, the weather was warm and humid. After my ride, I went for a 2.7 mile/22 min run. While I was out, Karel worked on a few of our athletes bikes and got some work done. He also went on a long walk with Sunny and stopped by the Blueberry bakery. He then went out for a MTB ride on the Lussi and Logger trails. Karel is getting ready for his 2nd Breck Epic MTB stage race. He was really disappointed in the trails on Thursday as they were not well maintained. He was able to ride for 2.5 hours and after his ride he went for a 4.5 mile, 31 min run. In the afternoon, we went for another swim at Mirror Lake. The water was warm so we wore our swim skins every time we swam. Our athlete Yannick watched Sunny in his camper van as we swam as it was raining (lightly) and Sunny does not like the rain).

Friday

On Friday morning, we set up a meet up with our athletes at the lake. We all swam a loop. Since it rained overnight, Karel waited until it dried out before heading out for his ride. After the swim I went for a 9.2 mile, 1:12 run on the run course. Since Karel left for his ride after I swam, our athletes Katie and Yannick offered to watch Sunny while I ran as Katie needed to get some work done on her computer and she misses her pups (Sunny is the replacement :) I ran on Hwy 86 (reversing the bike course) to River road and then followed the run course back into town. After I returned, I walked with Katie to the pro meeting and then continued on with our walk in downtown with Sunny. Karel went out for a 4 hour, 30 mile MTB ride at the Mt. Van Hoevenberg (the out and back of the bike course). He was hopeful that this would be a good area to ride as it's the home of the UCI mountain bike race in Placid but once again he was not thrilled with the riding. He was still able to get in a long ride. In the evening, we had a pizza party at our athlete's house and enjoyed chatting with all of our athletes racing.

Sunny is in the process of becoming a certified therapy dog so we did some practice with his vest on in the town.

Saturday

In the morning, Karel went for a run (1:34, 12.2 miles) and I hung out with Sunny and got some work done. While Karle was running, Sunny and I walked to downtown and picked up bagels. After Karel returned, it was my turn to ride. I was really looking forward to my ride on the Whiteface Memorial Highway. Anytime I do a new route, especially a climb, I always do some research first. My friend Carley from Gville told me about the climb and she told me I would really enjoy it. She was right! The 40 mile ride took me 2:43 and had 4700 feet of climbing. The climb is 8 miles, gains 3600 feet and averages 8%. There is a toll booth after a few miles and it costs $15 for cyclists to continue to the top. There were a few cyclists climbing and descending as I was riding. It got cooler as I got to the top (I brought arm warmers and gloves and a mylar sheet for my chest). My goal was to complete the climb under 1:10 and I did it in 1:09. The views at the top were incredible. Because the climb didn't have any significant turns, the descend was fast! I maxed my speed at 50 mph! When I got back, I went for a 31 min, 4 mile run. After I returned home, Karel drove to the Flume Trail system and he said this was his favorite trail of the three. It was flown and fun. He rode for 1:48. As Karel was riding, I walked with Sunny to the transition area with Katie as she checked in her bike. In the evening (around 6pm), Karel and I went to Mirror Lake for one last swim. Karel went first and then he picked up dinner and walked back with Sunny and then I went for a swim. It was very peaceful as there weren't many people swimming (maybe 3 others and not athletes racing).

Sunday - race day!

I got up at 5am and Katie came over shortly after. We walked to the transition area and I helped her out with her special needs bags and holding her stuff as she warmed up. Karel met us near the water a little after 6am. Sunny was a very good boy and did great all day with the crowds, music, loud noises, rain (not his favorite!) and long day. We had a great time cheering for our 9 athletes. We loved seeing Bruce - the oldest athlete in the race - complete the swim, bike and 7 miles of the run. Incredible at the age of 75 and his first Ironman! There was rain for a good part of the day (on and off) but thankfully all of our athletes completed the bike and made it to the finish. Our athlete Angela hung out with us (she was watching her partner Kevin race) and after the race, we had a few of our athletes come to our place to tell us about their race experience. We love Lake Placid!

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A post shared by Marni Sumbal, MS, RD, CSSD (@trimarni)

Monday/Tuesday

On Monday morning, we packed up our place. Karel went for a run (5 miles, 40 min) and when he came back, I went for a run (50 min, 6.4). It's so easy to train in Placid as it's just so beautiful. We left in the late morning and started our long drive home. We stayed in Pennsylvania with one of our athletes to help break up the drive. We arrived home on Tuesday around 3pm. After unpacking, we went to Furman and did an easy 2400 yard swim in the evening. Sunny told us that he really enjoyed his trip and he is looking forward to more race/train-cations. Congrats to our athletes and everyone who raced!

tags IM Lake Placid, Road trip, Sunny, lake placid, train-cation, travel

The Story of Sunny

November 30, 2024Trimarni

We said good bye to Campy on July 18th, 2025. A few weeks passed and our house felt quiet and empty. We cared for Campy for over 16 years and it felt so strange to go through our day without a dog. Before Campy passed away, we both felt that we would wait a while before adopting another dog but we really missed the routine and responsibility. I found myself scrolling through adoptable dogs on animal rescue websites and feeling like I could open my heart to another dog sooner than I though. I don't think I will never be able to love another dog like I loved Campy, but my broken heart was able to feel some love.

I searched on many different rescue websites, primarily on the east coast and at rescues where the dogs were at risk for euthanasia. Animals in Texas, California, North Carolina, Florida, and Alabama account for more than half of all shelter animals killed in the country.

Over several days, I filled out over a dozen applications for rescue dogs. I found that the adoption process for most of them was slow and extremely detailed.

On August 22nd, I came across a dog named "Hubert" from Animal Care and Control. He was being fostered by a girl named Meghan in Charlotte, North Carolina. I reached out to her via email and shared my story and our recent loss. I asked a few questions about Hubert to make sure he would be a good fit for us. I was delighted when she responded back rather quickly with additional information about Hubert. She answered all of my questions and appreciated that I wanted to make sure he was a good fit for us. It was important to us to find a small dog (less than 20 lbs) that would enjoy our active lifestyle and travel. We were looking for a young dog over the age of one and a dog that gets along with cats. Hubert seemed like the perfect fit. I'll be honest - at first I found myself primary searching for chihuahuas and any dog that resembled Campy but I knew that was because I missed Campy. There was something about Hubert that reminded us of Campy but he was also very different. We fell in love with Hubert's ears and his innocent eyes.

A few days later we had a facetime chat with Meghan, virtually met Hubert and discussed the opportunity for us to meet Hubert through a program that Animal Care and Control offers called a 'Staycation.' We mentioned to Meghan that we would be traveling to Italy the following week and we didn't want to adopt a dog before we left. Because Meghan wasn't allowed to put Hubert on hold until we came back from Italy, Meghan came up with the idea that we could take in Hubert for a few days as part of their Staycation program. If we decided it wasn't the right fit, he would return to Meghan. If we wanted to move forward with the adoption, she said she would petsit for us (at her house) while we were away for 10 days.

On August 24th (Saturday) we met Hubert in Greer, SC. A friend of Meghans was traveling to our area from Charlotte and said she could transport Hubert to meet us. We instantly fell in love with Hubert. He was sweet, energetic and happy. Karel's mom was with us and we loved how well he acted around her. As soon as we returned home, we stopped by my mom's house and she quickly said "he's going to be a good boy." Despite his background of being abandoned, he was comfortable around people.

First time meeting Sunny

Falling in love with Sunny

Driving Sunny to reunite with Meghan after we officially adopted him.

Sunny gets one last visit with Meghan before he comes to his forever home with us.

Introducing Sunny to his big fenced yard.

Taking into account the 3-3-3 rule of adopting a rescue, we knew the first few days would be a bit overwhelming for Hubert. He was in a new house, he was surrounded by five cats, he was sleeping in a new house, meeting new people, going for car rides and going for walks. Although we probably did too much with him when during his staycation, we quickly realized that we needed him in our life.

On Monday August 26th we told Meghan that we would like to make it official and adopt Hubert.
Hubert's adoption fee was $103, which included his neuter. We asked the foster coordinator if we could get him neutered in Greenville (instead of Charlotte) and she said that was fine. Even though it was more expensive at our local vet, we didn't want to bring on any added stress to Hubert.

It was hard to drop off Hubert with Meghan on the day before we left for Italy but he was excited to see her familiar face. We missed him a lot during our trip but we knew that when we returned from Karel's extreme triathlon in Italy, we would officially welcome Hubert to our family on September 12th.

I couldn't wait to pick up Hubert on September 12th. Meghan met me at the Gaffney outlets. I was so excited when I saw Hubert and I was happy that he remembered me. The outlets hold a special place in my heart for it is the same location where we used to meet our friend Christy when she would watch Campy while we traveled. It's ~50 minutes from where we live and ~50 minutes from Charlotte.

We liked the name Hubert but we felt he needed a name that meant something to us. After brainstorming for several days, we came up with the name Sunny. Our life has been dark without Campy and Sunny was giving us the sunshine that we needed to feel happy again.

Sunny’s (formerly Hubert) Journey at CMACC

Sunny is said to be ~1.5 years old and sometime in July, he ended up at a high kill shelter in North Carolina due to being abandoned in an apartment with his brother Benz. Apparently, the owners of Sunny and Benz were the ones who called the shelter to report that someone had abandoned their dogs - and this wasn’t the first time the police dealt with these people calling in (their) abandoned animals. We don't know how long they were left in the apartment but it was a few days. Benz had a severe broken leg that was never cared for, and he wore it down to the bone walking on it. Benz eventually got the leg amputated and recovered like a rock star and was adopted soon after by a great family.

Sunny was at the shelter for less than a week when he was picked up by Meghan. When she first met him, he came out to the lobby wiggling and giving kisses.

Once he got into foster, he hid in his crate a lot because that was his safe space. He loved affection so he soon learned to trust Meghan and that it was okay to come on the couch with her.

He also quickly learned her cat doesn’t appreciate dogs invading his space. Meghan shared the story of the first time Sunny got swatted at by her cat, and ran into his crate and wouldn’t open his eyes. She had to pick him up and tell him to open his eyes, that it’s okay. He was wagging his little tail but was too scared to open his eyes. We had the same thing happen at our house with Mia. We seriously thought he damaged his eye, only to learn that he was just scared to open his eyes and was being extra dramatic. That hasn't stopped him from playing with our cats - especially Asher (our tuxedo).

Sunny had a few different temp foster stays with some of the other fosters in the group while Meghan was out of town for a few weekends. He enjoyed playing around with the dogs and he looked so proud that he was invited into their club. Meghan thinks those dogs helped him gain some confidence and come out of his shell.

Sunny slowly started showing more and more of his personality over several weeks. Eventually he no longer retreated to his crate and just wanted to be by his person all the time.

Meghan said that Sunny was a special foster – he was always smiling and wiggling and such a happy little guy to just be around you. She is sad to think what his first year of life was probably like, but she's happy that he got out of that situation at a young age.

I stay in touch with Meghan and send her videos and pictures via text on a weekly basis. I love showing how far he has come and how much we are enjoying his company.

Knowing Sunny's story helped us better understand his personality.

Although Sunny was sweet to us, after a few days of adopting Sunny, we noticed he had more anxious behaviors. He wouldn't eat his food but instead he would hide it. After he played, he would come inside and act hysterical - wound up with energy. At random times he would excessively dig into blankets or the couch/bed. He would walk outside with his face near the ground and would obsessively eat sticks. One of the biggest concerns was seeing how reactive he was in the prescence of other dogs. He couldn't even look at a dog up the street without barking hysterically. He was extremely barky (we couldn't get him to stop), he didn’t know how to act around strangers, he would nip when he got excited and after a long walk outside, he was wound up with energy.

Although Campy had similar issues, Campy was only 10 lbs and it was easy for me to scoop him up and remove him from any situation. Although Sunny is not a big dog, he is 16 lbs which makes it difficult to quickly pick him up.

We knew Sunny was a very happy and smart dog but we felt he had a lot of anxiety and uncertainty about life due to his past. And with five cats in our house, his barks and wild energy made our house feel divided and stressful.

We never had experience with obedience training as Campy was our first and only dog. We knew we needed to help Sunny feel more confident and comfortable. I did some research and realized that much of Sunny's behaviors were due to anxiety and the need for more mental stimulation. After researching several different behavior training schools, we selected @dogtrainingeliteupstatesc because of their reviews and testimonials.

We enrolled Sunny in the gold elite package. It was a pricey investment but we knew we needed to do something to help Sunny so that he could enjoy our active lifestyle with us. The package consisted of two home visits, 5 days of group training in the facility (M-F, 9am-4pm) and six months of free group classes. This package also included an e-collar (not a shock collar) which is how the trainers work with the dogs.

We were skeptical about the training (and the collar) as we have no prior experience in dog training and we asked a lot of questions about the collar to make sure it was safe.

After the first in-home visit (~90 minutes) with trainer Casey, Sunny was a changed dog. We couldn’t believe how quickly he learned “come” and “off.” Sunny thrived at school and responded so well to his 3-4 different trainers, Each day he learned a new skill like place, down, heel and sit. After each day of class, before we picked up Sunny, we watched a tutorial video of how to give commands and watched videos of Sunny in action. And although we don't mind some barking, Sunny can control his barking.

On the way to school.

Since the training, we don't say "no", raise our voice or use the collar for punishment. We don't have to use treats for rewarding good behavior. Everything Sunny learned has been through positive reinforcement. The collar is simply a mode of communication. Sunny still deals with some anxiety being alone but the training helps wear out his mind before we leave.

Sunny feels secure in his collar and he loves working on his new skills. He loves to learn and loves to please.

Whereas before we were extra careful where we walked Sunny, we can now let Sunny off leash and he has more opportunities (and freedom) in life thanks to his training (and collar). He gets excited to put on his collar and work on his skills and we love taking him new places. The training also helps him use his mind which helps him relax.

After just five days of his school, we saw his confidence improve, he’s no longer anxious, the cats are calm around him, we can peacefully coexist around other dogs (and he loves to play with dogs!) and he has so much more freedom in life. Whereas before we couldn't take him places because of his barking and anxiety, we can now take him anywhere and he is a joy to be around. He is still a happy and fun dog with his unique personality and traits but he feels comfort knowing that we are helping him safely navigate this new world. We are so happy that Sunny has so many more opportunities in life thanks to his good behaviors and listening skills - all thanks to Dog Training Elite.