Dog Scheduled To Be Killed Is Instead Flown 2,000 Miles To Her Forever Home

Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary
Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary

Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary is an extraordinary facility for animals with extraordinary pasts—all horrible, but all improving thanks to the help of the shelter. Though they’re based in Canada, they travel to other countries to rescue dogs that are on death row and whose situation is dire.

A team led by Robert Scheinberg headed down to Miami to look for dogs who were likely to never be adopted in the condition they were in and the team was met with many dogs who fit the bill.

They were able to save 100 dogs that day and bring them back to their rescue in Canada to rehabilitate them and find their forever homes. One of those dogs was Lucy, an emaciated, tick and flea-infested pup who was scheduled to be euthanized that very same day.

“She was in horrific condition,” Clare Forndran from Dog Tales told The Dodo. “But Rob could tell that Lucy was a fighter and wasn’t ready to give up. He agreed to take her on the spot.”

Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary
Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary

Since Lucy was in such poor condition, she stayed behind with a local veterinarian so she could be treated before she flew back to Canada. Lucy was in even worse shape than her rescuers thought: she had hookworm, whipworm, heartworm, demodex, anemia and even a kind of cancer called thyroid carcinoma.

After she was cleared for transport, she met up with her rescuers at the shelter that she would call home for the next several months. It took her months to be cleared as healthy, but this special rescue spared no expense to get her back on her feet.

Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary
Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary

Finally, she was put up for adoption and quickly found the perfect family for her. Animal lovers Jamie Ferris and Robyn Hodgkin were drawn in when they saw a photo of the reformed Lucy smiling and decided to visit the shelter.

“I never normally read the stories when I see the horrible pics,” Hodgkin told The Dodo. “But there was something about her that made me want to adopt her.”

Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary
Credit: Dog Tales Rescue and Santuary

Though she was adopted in April of this year, Lucy’s story resurfaced this month because her and her parents visited Dog Tales Rescue, where her transformation began nearly one year ago. In honor of her visit, the rescue posted her story on their Facebook and said this:

“Just one year ago this very special dog was only moments away from death. Now, she is the centre of her family’s world, and brings so much joy to all that she meets. Lucy’s story is a reminder to us of why we do what we do, and it is a reminder to all to never lose hope no matter how impossible things may seem.”

Credit: Robyn Hodgkin
Credit: Robyn Hodgkin

Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary is, in itself, a very special rescue that takes serious measures to ensure that their dogs are happy and well taken care of. They are only open to the public for limited hours every Sunday because dogs tend to get stressed when they are overstimulated by unfamiliar faces day in and day out, like at a normal shelter. Instead of living their life behind steel bars, they are given fancy rooms with luxurious decorations for this reason:

“We believe that our dogs deserve all of the comforts of home while they wait for their forever homes, and wanted to create a space that contrasted the idea of the cold, stark shelter that we all have grown so accustomed to. A fun, decorated environment filled with happy dogs makes it easier for guests to repeatedly visit until they find that perfect dog, without leaving feeling emotionally drained each time.”

Credit: Robyn Hodgkin
Credit: Robyn Hodgkin

It’s this environment that Lucy, and hundreds of other dogs, were brought into with love and that helped them find their forever homes. If you would like to donate to the rescue, you can do so here.

What are your thoughts on this rescue’s methods? Please share, like, and comment on this article!


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