A brave step forward

I was working at a humane society when we were contacted about a Michigan puppy mill which had been shut down. The dogs were temporarily being cared for by a national organization, who asked shelters for help. Teams from a few organizations went to Michigan to care for the dogs, and each agreed to bring some back for rehabilitation and adoption.

Among the rescued dogs was a very shut-down, deaf border collie. She cowered in the back of her cage, scared of anyone who approached. Each of the shelters was reluctant to choose her for their rescue – because she was so fearful and unsocial, she was unlikely to be adoptable. None of the shelters wanted to end up euthanizing her.

But there was something about her that made her unforgettable.

Time was running out, and the teams had to return home with their allotted dogs to their shelters.  One of our staff paused in front of the fearful border collie’s cage, hoping to see some sort of improvement from her. She asked the dog to somehow show her if she wanted a chance.

Maybe you believe dogs don’t understand our language, and that very well may be true. But I believe the shut-down dog understood, on some level, that this was her only remaining lifeline.

The terrified dog paused, and with every ounce of courage she had, took a single step forward. It was her way of saying “Please, don’t give up on me.” 

She was included on the transport and brought to Minnesota along with many other dogs. It’s hard to fathom the fear she must have felt. She was in a moving vehicle for likely the first time in her life, being driven by humans – a species she’d only known to be cruel – to an unknown destination. Her future was a mystery, but until that point her life had been filled with neglect, abuse and terror.

She must have been so scared. But that’s all she had ever known.

To be continued…