Words can hardly capture the despair Gertrude felt on the day she was left behind.
Locked inside a crate and dumped in a parking lot, she had no way to escape or find help on her own.
All Gertrude could do was wait and pray that someone kindhearted would notice her and offer the compassion she so desperately needed.
Thankfully, a passerby spotted the abandoned pup and called Animal Protection & Control, who hurried to the scene.
The Moment Her Luck Began To Change
When officers arrived and saw Gertrude, their hearts broke. She was painfully malnourished, with her bones jutting out, and much of her fur was missing.
Her head hung low, as if she had nearly given up hope altogether.
But the instant she noticed the kind people coming toward her crate, Gertrude’s eyes brightened.
The team gave her food right away, and she devoured it hungrily, pausing only to look up at them with gratitude. When she finished, she wagged her tail and smiled as if to thank them.
The officers gently carried her to NOCO Humane in Loveland, Colorado, where veterinarians examined her and began treatment for demodex mange.
Healing Slowly But Surely
Despite her condition, Gertrude greeted the vet staff with sweetness. She soaked up every bit of affection, grateful for the attention and care.
Because she was dangerously underweight, she was placed on a special feeding plan.
Over the following weeks, she began to gain weight and her coat slowly improved. But just as she was ready to look for a forever family, Gertrude fell ill with an upper respiratory infection.
Her caregivers had to place her in quarantine while she recovered.
Even then, she lit up every time staff visited to feed her or give her medicine. With steady love and medical care, her health began to improve once more.
A Series Of Challenges Before Her Happy Ending
When her infection finally cleared, Gertrude could leave quarantine. She was thrilled to walk outside and play with other shelter dogs again. The staff agreed that she was ready for adoption.
But before that could happen, disaster struck the region.
The Alexander Mountain Fire forced many families and pets in Larimer County to evacuate. To make room for displaced animals, NOCO Humane transferred around 40 of its residents, including Gertrude, to partner shelters.
She was sent to the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs.
Though her friends were sad to see her leave, they kissed her goodbye, confident that her future was finally looking bright.
“So I was there when Gertrude’s van came in and the first thing we noticed is that she was just a bundle of joy,” Cody Costra, the public relations manager at Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, told NOCO Humane.
It didn’t take long for Gertrude to capture the heart of a wonderful family.
She was adopted into a loving home where she now receives the unconditional care she always deserved.
Gertrude faced countless struggles, but each obstacle brought her closer to the life she was meant to live. Today, she finally has her happy ending.