It Started with an Email

It all started with an email from a concerned neighbor to our rescue email. The email was forwarded to me with the comment, "OH MY GOD, isn't this in your area?'  Indeed it was and this is how the journey to save Bear began.

I reached out to the good Samaritan who contacted us about Bear and discovered that the situation was even more dire than we at first thought. At the moment of writing this and posting, we do not have possession of Bear so I will keep my details light, in hopes of filling everyone in at a later date. But, the long story short is, Bear was left to starve to death.

The good samaritans watched this poor dog on the chain everyday. Calls to animal control were not met with many options. Then they began noticing that Bear was getting thinner. Were their eyes playing tricks on them? Upon investigation, not only did they find that Bear was getting thinner, he was actually starving to death. The good samaritans began sneaking him food and reached out to German Shepherd Rescue.

I went to assess this boy. Well... assess isn't the right word since I could not get near him. He growled and told me to stay away. Looking at that frail body, with his tail tucked so tightly I knew in my heart he wanted to be a good dog, he just had not been given the opportunity.

GSRA houses all of our dogs in foster homes. We need to know the temperament of the dog before we place them in someone's home. Is the dog good with other dog? Cats? Children? Men? These things are imperative for us to know in order to ensure the best possible foster home match. Unfortunately, I left the assessment with no answers. I could not tell our Intake or Foster Coordinators anything about this dog other than he was 1). Starving 2). Scared 3). a Sheppie/Hound mix (that I am VERY found of).   The smart answer would be to say no; Bear is not a candidate for our rescue. Well, no one ever said animal rescuers always make the SMARTEST decisions. So, it was decided.... BEAR IS A GSRA DOG.

Over the coming days and weeks I will share Bear's Rescue story. It is just beginning to unfold. Tomorrow Bear leaves his chain for the last time. Because of his fear, we will need to sedate him to get him to the vet, but we are confident that once that chain is removed, Bear will begin to heal.

The video below was shot over the course of several days. Bear has begun to trust the good samaritan who is feeding him and by my second visit, he took food from my hands. All of this is VERY VERY promising. Please think about us tomorrow morning. This will be the MOST difficult part of this change for Bear. Even though he received no love, very little food, and had minimal protection from the elements, Bear is leaving the only home he has ever known. We can't tell him what is happening or reassure him other than by gentle voices.