Solstice

Every day we have hundreds of social media tags, emails, and private messages for intake requests. Solstice and her sister Equinox has been found as strays and were taken to a local Houston shelter for their safety. Street life is not a good life, and in Houston it is downright miserable. 

Both girls had an identification number listed, and so I asked the volunteer team to please let me know if these girls came up on the euthanasia list. 

Within less than two weeks, Solstice was listed. She was shut down and terrified, and with no adoption interest, it was going to be the most humane thing to euthanize her if a rescue could not be found. The volunteers and I went into action. They found someone to pick her up for me and meet me part way to Houston where I could pick her up. 

Her fur was stained yellow with urine and feces. She would flip between emotionally shut down to a fight or flight response. She darted away if you tried to move toward her and you could forget about touching her.... 

Over several weeks while we waited for her spay appointment, I worked on bathing her and gaining her trust over time. She had endured a lot and she needed patience in order to recover. Her medical needs were not many. We did our standard wellness care: vaccines, microchip, dewormer, heartworm prevention, spay.... Where her difficult work came in was learning to trust us. 

It wasn't long before her beautiful self caught the attention of a couple up north that had recently lost their husky. They were looking for another. I thought surely once I explained her behaviors and her difficulty interacting with humans they would opt to adopt a different dog.... I was wrong. 

They had experience with dogs that needed time to learn people were not out to hurt them, and they were more than willing to give her that time and kindness. So we put the wheels in motion to get Solstice transported to them. 

I don't often cry at transport drop off, but Solstice was special to me and I knew she would become incredibly special to her new family. It was hard to see her go, but the dog that left me and the rescue behind was not the dog that came into our care. She had gone through so much intense emotional healing, she as truly set up to be successful as she continued on in her life without us, and she as a new soul now. 

It was time for her to go enjoy her life and live the journey she was always meant to live. 

While it hurt to see her go, seeing her happily living in her home brings a smile and peace to our hearts.