Daniel

This past summer, Daniel was one of three pups desperately seeking shelter after being left for dead on a highway. At just a couple of months old, little Daniel had endured more pain and suffering than most dogs will experience in their entire lives.

We first learned of Daniel’s situation when a good Samaritan brought the three pups to our doorstep. At that moment in time, we were at capacity, our resources stretched to their absolute limits, but when these souls arrived, we couldn’t turn a blind eye. 

That’s when the kind soul who plucked them from the streets told us how the puppies were desperately searching for safety as cars swerved out of the way. They were just babies, they didn’t know what a car even was or how to dodge it. All they knew was that they sounded extremely scary and were so big and loud. 

As we listened to the story of these pups, we started picking them up and inspecting their fragile bodies. What we saw was horrendous. They were mere skeletons hiding under matted fur; their bellies were bloated with ravaging parasites, and fleas, ticks, and lice crawled all over their coat—feasting on their weakness. We couldn't tell when they had last had a proper meal, if ever. Each detail painted a vivid, heartrending picture of neglect.

We worked hard, day in and day out, to rid these angels of the parasites and voracious bugs attacking them from every direction, all the while trying to get them to an appropriate weight to undergo more examinations and testing. We worried that parvovirus was looming in the distance for quite some time. While Daniel and his friends were in our care, we aimed to love on them and give them a safe place to relax. They had started life in such a traumatic way, so we wanted to show them that a calm environment existed and that they deserved it. We also wanted to give them a fighting chance at hopefully one day being adopted. 

Not long after we put signals out for forever homes, a kind family reached out about sweet and playful Daniel. It was love at first sight, and they wanted to welcome him into their home! We were elated. Daniel had no idea what this even meant, but he would soon find out the utter joy of being a family dog.

After everything we had been through together, it seemed practically impossible to imagine parting with this special little boy. However, when the perfect adopter came along wanting to take Daniel home, we could not have been more overjoyed. We said our tearful goodbyes, knowing we had accomplished exactly what we set out to do. We gave Daniel the second chance he deserved, and he would now spend the rest of his life in his new family’s loving embrace.