“Please don’t shout at me. It scares me. I can’t help that the constant noise and confusion makes me go to the bathroom. The first two places I stayed frightened me, too. I tried to be a good girl, but they couldn’t understand my needs. Then you dropped me at a place with small humans and I was scared and confused again. More yelling, more name calling. Dumb dumb, bad, mean, uncontrollable, mental, useless…worthless. I want to be loved more than anything. Won’t someone help, me?” — troubled pet
Winnie (aka Dumb Dumb) didn’t have a great start at life. She found herself in the hands of three different people, all whom only made her situation worse. She was berated, yelled at and made out to be “vicious, not good with children, small pets or other dogs.” Her recent owner was fed up with her constant voiding in her home and put out a vehement threat to all on social media to go and get her or she was being dumped at the local shelter.
Thank goodness a kind soul read this post and reached out to rescue Winnie from this horrible situation. This is Melissa’s tale.
My husband picked her up at five. She got to our farm and immediately ran over to say hello to my 120lb livestock guardian dog. Both dogs wagged their tails and shared sniffs.
I loved her up a bit, told her she was a good girl.
I cried.
I put her in a kennel in my 50ft heated garage surrounded by chickens in runs. She went right to sleep. After supper I went outside to walk her. I took her out of the kennel and as she approached me she dribbled pee (as she cowered at my feet) unsure of what I was about.
I cried.
My two kids came out (8 and 12) and played with her for over a half hour then took her for a walk on the leash up the road; just the three of them. She was very very well behaved. After a drink and some love I tucked her in for the night. She didn’t howl, cry or bark, just laid down quietly.
I shut off the light, closed the door and cried.
I took her to the vet this a.m. She met a few cats, which she was very friendly with, saw many other dogs and a ton of people. She sat for treats, walked on a leash and sat quietly in the truck when I ran into my friends house to grab something along the way. She had an exam and was vaccinated. A few of the staff were seriously considering keeping her and everyone took pictures, snuggled her and loved her.
I cried.
After lunch I took her to the shelter. The staff was amazing. They welcomed her and loved her up right away.
I cried.
She met more cats, didn’t flinch, and a very dominant older dog that lives at the shelter and again, no reaction except tail wags and sniffs.
I cried and cried some more.
I know this is the best place for this sweet girl right now, but I couldn’t help but feel so sorry for the life she had lived before today. The staff named her Winnie (previously referred to as Willow, or dumb dumb) as to not associate her new beginning with her past, but to be as least confusing as possible at the same time. Winnie is now safe and happily awaiting her new forever home.
Many of you have asked me why I was “so nice, so calm” or how I could “defend” her previous owners. Well, I was crying. I knew that attacking her, her decisions, or her post wasn’t going to help the dog. I wanted and needed to help the dog.
I’m crying. Winnie, thank you for reminding us all that things are not always what they seem. You, as an animal, do not have the ability to choose us but rather we choose you. No matter how grave a situation may appear EVERY ANIMAL deserves a second, third and even fourth chance at the life they deserve.
For you, I cried..
On this National Volunteer Week, we at KirinGie.Me applaud you, Melissa, for your kindness and love. Without your action and care, Winnie most likely would’ve continued to be misunderstood. Now she has been given a real chance and a true voice.
Thank you!
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