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Penelope - A Rescue Miracle
Last week I went to a local animal shelter to evaluate more than half a dozen dogs that were on the dreaded termination list.
The
first one I saw was a blue Mastiff girl. She was scared out of her
mind. Did not want to walk, kept herself close to the floor, cowered in
corners with her tail between her legs.
There was no way to evaluate her properly. It all came down to taking a more or less educated guess.
I
did and with the approval of the rescue group for which I evaluated
her we pulled her out of the shelter. It took two women to carry her
to the car. She refused to walk or go anywhere. As soon as she was put
into the car, she cowered in the far corner of the cargo space seeking
refuge and a hiding place.
She did
not even notice my own dog who was sitting on the front seat. As soon
as the engine started, she got up and looked around. Then she saw my
dog. She sat down facing him and stared at him for a while. Then she
looked demonstratively out of the back of the car watching the world go by.
My
dog, who is a rescued dog himself and still far from perfect and
balanced, had an exceptionally good day. He had not run away or come
out of the car earlier despite the fact that the back hatch was wide
open and his leash had slipped and was no longer attached to the car.
He patiently waited while I had a conversation with a female shelter
visitor who was looking for a Boxer. In fact, he was so good that she
felt moved to comment on his balanced energy and personality. If she
only knew . . .
My present Boxer
swears that the “voice from the box” keeps on nagging him and telling
him what to do and what not to do. I am almost inclined to believe that
he is speaking the truth. For those who do not know, the departed
editor of this blog now resides in a box on my computer desk!
To
make a long story short, when we arrived at the vet's office, the
Mastiff girl greeted me with a thumping tail and then hopped out of the
car under her own power. She happily went inside with the vet tech. The
last I saw of her were some prancing feet and a seductively wiggling
tail.
That is until today. I received an e-mail from the rescue group with a video of the blue Mastiff girl in her new foster home.
Those
of us who have seen this dog scared out of her mind, beaten down and
hiding from everything and everyone, are elated about her miraculous
turn-around.
All others, please
let this video show you what beautiful dogs get dumped at animal
shelters only to be euthanized shortly thereafter.
True,
not all dogs (and cats for that purpose) deserve rescue. Some are just
beyond help. But there are so many that suffer the ultimate penalty for
no fault of their own.
Please keep that in mind when you watch this video . Let it speak to your heart, please.
There are many like dogs like Penelope in animal shelters everywhere.
She is safe now in her foster home. But she is of course looking for a permanent home with her very own family.
I bet she will not have to wait for long.
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