Rescue...it does a body good. - Page 1

I spotted this GSD in a church parking lot on the way home from work.  Something made me turn around and go back.  She was so thin I could see her vertebrae and ribs from a distance.  She was covered with ticks and kept shaking her head, sitting to scratch that right ear and keeping her distance from me when I pulled into the parking lot.  I stayed in my car, rolled down the window and spoke to her.  She didn't run but she made her way to this culvert under a very busy four lane street.  It was her cave, her den.  I went home and dreamed about her.  This was during our god awful hot summer and the culvert feeds into the creek behind her here.  I started to bring her raw food and fresh water on the way to work and on the way home. 

After about a week, she would come when I called but always kept her distance.  She knew my car, my voice and my whistle.  One day after work I noticed someone had weed-eated around her culvert.  Her water bowl was dry and full of dead grass and weeds.  I washed her food bowl and water bowl out, refilled both and called and called for her.  I even got on my hands and knees looking far back in the culvert for her.  I was crushed.  I had never, not seen her.  I turned around and headed for my car and here she came from behind the church!  She had not run off after all.  She still kept her distance and waited for me to get back in my car before enjoying her supper and fresh water.

After about 10 days, with the help from a friend and over an hour in 100 degree weather, we finally were able to slip a leash over her head and capture her.  I had gotten to the point where she would come to my car and take food from my hand but I couldn't get out of the car and be that close.  My friend stood on top of the culvert after Boo (yes, I named her) retreated from our attempts to coax her into my car.  I was able to give her a bit more food and she stuck her head right thru the loop and we had her.  She immediately shut down.  Poor thing was terrified.  I loaded her up into the back of my car and took her to another friend's house who had already set up a kennel and doghouse for her.  It was just a couple of days and Boo decided that she had it pretty good and we could take her out to the fenced field and turn her loose.  She loves chasing a ball but doesn't know what to do with it once she catches it.  LOL


I couldn't find her puppies.  She was already drying up when I first found her.  Hard to say what happened to them.  She has no tattoo, no microchip.  We treated her for fleas and ticks and took her to a rescue friendly vet Dr. John Brooks who spayed her (she was pregnant again!) and treated her ear infection, wormed her, trimmed her nails and tested her for heartworm (neg!!) all for $100.00.  My friend kept her for another couple of weeks and I supplied the diet and meds.  She started looking like a dog instead of a skeleton.  I fell in love with her and she fell in love with everyone who would speak to her.  Yet, no one wanted her.  She was such a sad looking little girl.


My sister in law fell in love with Boo's story and she and my brother came and got her.  Take a look at poor little Boo now!  Pretty, confident and so very grateful that someone saw past the ugly duckling and broken ear (look at it now!).  Boo has the fastest recall I've ever seen.  And to think she wouldn't let me near her for so long.  This last pic is over exposed (crappy camera) she is much darker as in the above pic.   

I know exactly how wonderful that feels, been there/done that!  congrats to you, the kind loving person who took her time to help save a lovely, loyal dog! Kudos!!

WOW:  what an heartfelt story;  and I bet that is the best girl  your sister in law will ever own.  They are usually so appreciative.  Thank god you found her as it looked like she was on her last leg.  Kudo's to you for saving her, something I bet YOU won't forget for a long, long, time.

Wonderful story! So glad you helped her and gave her a new life. We have  a rescue girl too. ( a pit bull)

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we finally got a good rain here after our long, hot, dry summer and I drove by the culvert (as I do everyday) and there was a river running thru it.  The water was up past halfway in the culvert.  I was so glad it was dry when I found her.  I doubt, in her shape at the time she would have been able to survive being washed thru the sewer and being dumped in the creek.   She is very grateful and loves my brother and sister in law.  Here she is, looking up at sis.
 She is so happy now!  All she needed was someone who cared.  I've told my brother to cut back on her food.  LOL.  She eats like a pig and is getting fat.  The vet said she was approx 18mo old when we brought her in in August.  She means a lot to me as she is my first real rescue.  No, I won't soon forget her and luckily she doesn't live far away so I can visit whenever I want to.   I forgot to mention the place I found her was just about 1/4 mile from the animal shelter/pound.  Apparently they had tried to catch her but she would duck into her culvert or worse dart into traffic and she was too thin to dart.  And just a block away we have a homeless shelter and I found out I had help in feeding her.  A couple of men saved their lunch for her and asked if it was ok to feed her.  Kindred spirits I guess.  They told me she had been there about a week when I spotted her.  I'm sure they miss her.    

What an angel...you, Boo, the vet, the homeless men who had nothing and yet shared with her and your sister in law.

What an AMAZING transformation physically and I am sure, even more, mentally and emotionally.

Thank you for sharing.

You all are what makes this life worth living....

Well done. I know that you are not looking for praise but all it takes is for someone to care enough to help.

A true angel. Your story brought tears to my eyes.

Yes thanks for sharing.

That face in the first picture would have haunted me all of my days if I hadn't done something.  I forgot to mention the vet, bless his heart, said she only weighed 29 pounds at 18mo and that he also vaccinated her for that special rescue price.  29 pounds and I had been feeding her for 2 1/2 weeks!  They also boarded her for me an additional few days to monitor her recovery from the spay.  They kept her over the Labor Day holiday weekend and only charged me for 3 days at half price (they had her from Wednesday thru Tuesday).  That man has a heart of gold.  He even offered to take her into the foster care program they had but I wasn't willing to part with her at that point.  Too much of my time and effort to just hand her over I guess.  I wanted to see her bloom and be able to keep an eye on her.  A lot of people had a hand in helping me with her and they are all angels.  She really tugged at my heart strings but after I handed her over to my brother I felt my job was done.  It was about another month before I was over to visit and when I saw how gorgeous she was, I cried.  She remembered me too!  So happy to be reunited.  .
I just don't know how people can let a dog suffer when all it takes is a bit of time and effort and the rewards are sooooo amazing.  We did try to find her owners.  I kept thinking I have to help her...what if it was my Echo who was lost and in this shape.  What if she had run from fireworks and been lost all this time etc.  Several people came forward but she wasn't the GSD they had lost.  That was emotional on a whole different level.  So many hoping I had found their dog, one who had been missing for a couple of years.  I hope they find their pets. 

No, I'm not looking for praise.  I just want people to know how wonderful it feels to take pity on a poor, mangy looking dog and to do something to relieve it's suffering.  I had several people who wanted a "free" GSD until they saw her.  Broken ear, no coat, saggy teats and I was asking for a "rehoming fee".  I even had one person sneer at her.  Another who said "Rescue? No way in hell".  I'm glad they showed their true colors as I am certain had they come around later to see this beautiful creature, they would have wanted her and she deserves so much more than they would have given her.  And my brother paid her rehoming fee.  He insisted.  Boo has found her forever home and everyone is very happy.        

So glad that she has a home-wonderful story.  She looks very well cared for