Dog Rescued From Euthanasia List Learns To Trust Again
Clementine was rescued from a high kill shelter but was terrified of her new family. It took them months to get through to her, but she finally learned to trust again, writes blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood
According to Clementine’s new family, the poor pup was rescued in late 2020 after she was found roaming the streets in California. Sadly, her “rescuers” delivered her to a high-kill shelter where she was promptly put on the euthanasia list.
While her story could’ve ended there, a Washington-based non-profit heard about Clementine and knew they had to rescue her. That non-profit, Ginger’s Pet Rescue, saves dogs from near-death situations, like euthanasia lists and meat factories, and finds them forever homes. They saved Clementine just two days before she was to be euthanized.
The rescue posted about Clementine on their social media and a couple, Chelsea and Zach, instantly fell in love.
After reaching out to the rescue to inquire about fostering Clementine, Chelsea was contacted almost immediately. She said, “The person we spoke to at GPR was floored and in tears that we were interested in her.” Apparently, of the hundreds of applications that came in for dogs, not a single one was for Clementine.
Sadly, the dog was suffering from numerous health conditions, including malnutrition and 5 concurrent infections (MRSA being one of them). While Chelsea and Zach initially planned to apply to foster her and help nurse her back to health, after hearing there was so little interest in her, they decided to adopt her on the spot.
It took two weeks, but Clementine finally found a ride from California up to Washington to meet her new parents. They’re not quite sure what her past looked like, but it was clear upon bringing her home that it wasn’t pleasant.
The poor dog was afraid to enter the house, and once she did, she was afraid to move around and explore. In an interview with The Dodo, Chelsea explained that Clementine would sit on her dog bed and just stare at the wall for hours, shaking.
The pup refused to make eye contact for months, preferring to look at the wall. Through it all, Chelsea and Zach were extremely patient and understanding. They were willing to work with their rescue dog until she was comfortable and learned to trust – and that’s exactly what happened.
Clementine has been with her new family since January 2021 and has made so much progress. Clementine now enjoys sitting for treats, playing with her canine siblings, and even sleeping next to Chelsea!
Though she’s been in treatment and with her new loving family for around 10 months now, she still has a long journey ahead of her. She’s learning to trust again – and is comfortable and trusting of her new family. She’s medically stable, though she still suffers from severe allergies and infections. She has to get a shot every other day as part of her medical care.
She’s made such massive progress, both physically and mentally, in the short 10 months she’s been adopted. We can’t wait to see what the following years hold in store for her.
Watch Clemintine’s rescue video below, courtesy of The Dodo:
Source: blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com
