June 2020
There is not much new this month with Sophie and Tessa. After almost a year and a half here they have plateaued on confidence. They are taking food from our hands, but they still run if confronted with anything more than a shadow (and sometimes a shadow spooks them). They come in the door to the house a little more easily. With good weather they like to sleep in the yard, but still come running when it’s time to eat.
We thought we had the right home for Max with a couple in BC, but they decided he would be a little too much dog for someone their age, and reluctantly we agreed with them. He and Rowdy don’t get along, so we keep the gates shut in the house. Every month he mellows a little and he’s going to be an ideal dog for his next family. We will soon begin home visits again and we have someone in mind for him.
Last month I mentioned that Nanuk had been attacked by a Pit mix but was recovering nicely. His only injury was on his muzzle, and now that the stitches are out and the hair is growing back, he’s once again a handsome boy.
Each month we’re going to feature a special rescue dog from the past. This is about Hope (from June, 2010)
There are as many stories of mistreatment of dogs as there are dogs who find their way to rescue. We experienced a first this month when we heard of a dog at the Puyallup shelter and checked on her. The shelter said she was afraid of everybody and they thought she had been dumped. They were pretty sure she was kept in a crate for months, if not years. They said she was so horribly matted that her intake form actually said “intact male.”
Kathy was there to pick her up the moment she was available. She hid in a half-bath off our laundry room. When we got close she tuned out as though we weren’t there. If she had room she scurried out of the way. It appears she never had a moment of socialization or human contact. The area she was found is residential, nice, and not the place a puppy mill or even a backyard breeder would be. She is debarked, which isn’t done casually, and it was a well-done surgery. If someone cared that much it’s impossible to understand her history. We named her Hope, because it’s how we see her future.
In July, at our rescue picnic, a couple met Hope and asked to take her home. They were patient with her and she because accustomed to people. She was happy there, although they fed her way too much.