Tuesday, December 1, 2015

After a decade in an animal shelter, Sweet Sheba finds a home!

It seems there's a "Sheba" dog at every animal shelter.
Our Sheba--a pit mix--spent her earliest years chained to a radiator in some horried NYC project apartment, then was moved to a shelter in Yonkers, and finally "rescued" from that shelter and moved up to the Ulster County SPCA in Kingston, NY.  Sheba spent almost a decade in the shelter system. She is not a "beautiful" dog in the classic sense, nor is she a silly young pup, and sometimes she would bite people who moved their hands on her in ways she didn't like. (And as for the "beautiful" dog comment, I want to stress that I don't care about that sort of thing, but a lot of people sadly do).

As a result, potential adopters rarely even said hello to her through the windows of her kennel. She was the passed-by dog, day in and day out....for many, many years. We worried she would never find a home. But we loved her and loved her and loved her, and those volunteers whom Sheba rarely bit got to walk her and play with her, and take her out to the kiddie pool in the summer time, and rub her belly, and tuck her into her favorite "bunk bed." We believed in her, in other words.

On the dry erase board where the dog's "statistics" are written, Sheba's profile said something to the effect of: She will always have a home here and she will always be loved.  That's what I love about my shelter: there is always love, and there is always hope. We don't euthanize animals, and we never assume any dog is "unadoptable." We believe that there is someone for everyone--and whether that combination involves humans, dogs, cats, horses, goats, bunnies, or all the above, we hold true to that Truth.  If you exist on this planet, you belong, and you will find your Soul Friends.

Last week--and here come the tears--Sheba was adopted.  I wasn't there to witness the going away party, but it looks like about two dozen Fans of Sheba were there to see her off.  Many blessings to you, Sheba, and to your new family.    Let this story be a sign of hope for ALL shelter dogs. 

https://www.facebook.com/ulstercountyspca/posts/10153803854501528


#ulstercountyspca #thereisalwayshope #adoptdogs

2 comments:

Cupcake said...

What wonderful news!! I'm so happy for Sheba! To all the wonderful people that took care of her and love her... you're the best!

Lee Harrington said...

Thanks for taking the time to reply, CUpcake, and sorry for the delays in my reply! I didn't realize my comments were turned off!
Love,
Lee