Another rescue, a non-farm animal story... Zelda was a feral dog in a rural community, probably abandoned as a puppy. She and her mate had several litters of puppies before they were finally caught. When she came to us, her mate and all of her puppies had been taken from her, as well as all of her familiar surroundings and her independence. Wormy, skinny, depressed and scared, she wanted noting to do with humans. And why would she? Due to humans, she had lost everything she loved. She spent months preferring to hide in the back of a walk in closet. We made her come to bed with us each night although she didnt want to. Walks were unpleasant, she thought we were chasing her. We really didnt know what to do with such an unhappy dog. She had an obviously gentle nature, never daring to snap or bite through her fear, just cowering and avoiding eye contact. I would catch her sniffing my face while she thought I was sleeping, but that was about it. We had holding sessions when we would pet her and tell her she was loved. Little by little over the next year, she came out of her shell. She bonded to Hawk, Brent s older dog and Hazel, the farm dog that every animal loves. It took her over a year with us before she could go off leash or to even wag her tail for human contact. She fell head over heels for Brent, of course, and what dog wouldnt? She started out as a foster, but became a part of the family, knowing that if she did find the right home, she would start over from square one with her trust issues. Still wary of strangers, you wont find her in the pens when you visit. She has a problem not attacking chickens, probably a left over instinct of needing to hunt for her own food as a feral. We are hoping to have a new, larger pen built for Zelda and Hawk very soon, where they can romp and play all day without being a menace to our birds. If you have any doubts that rescuing, adopting, or fostering an animal makes little difference to the looming pet overpopulation problem, I can tell you it does, indeed, make a huge dent in the suffering and sadness of even just one animal without a loving caretaker. Zeldas personality and shyness issues may have left her in shelter care for a long time, being not a great candidate for adoption. But these are the dogs running over with love and loyalty, just below the surface, waiting for the special person who invites them out of their darkness and into a bright and lovely world. Tomorrow, Sunday, from 1-3pm we will be hosting some adoptable dogs, puppies and kittens from PawsCo. Please come out to meet them. Other perks are sweet goats, cheese tasting and fresh picked produce from the farm. Share and invite friends, too. 8640 Dahlia St. Just 15 minutes from downtown Denver.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 16:43:15 +0000
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