Sammie was born like any other pup: all he wanted was to feel loved.
Sadly, life didn’t go as planned for him or the dozens of other German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois dogs. Instead of getting the chance to enjoy a happy life, Sammie and the others were locked inside a small apartment, never allowed to see the outdoors.
Thanks to a careless breeder, the dogs were kept in tight closets and cupboards. With no space to move, much less live normally, Sammie had it the worst of all. He was so emotionally shut down that he couldn’t even move.
He Was Completely Frozen With Fear
When Animal Care Centers of New York City got a report about forty German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois dogs trapped in terrible conditions, rescuers acted right away. But nothing prepared them for what they were about to find.
“The dogs – ranging from young puppies to fullygrown adults – had allegedly never been outside prior to their rescue. Some were discovered inside closets and cupboards or packed into tight spaces with no access to fresh air or sunlight,” ACC stated.
Unable to rescue all of the dogs at once, they reached out to Zion’s Mission Animal Rescue or help. The organization agreed to take ten of the dogs, including Sammie. But Sammie’s condition left the rescuers especially heartbroken.
Sammie was so frozen in fear that he could barely lift his head. He wouldn’t budge. The rescuers couldn’t walk him on a leash, so they carefully lifted him using a blanket and wheeled him to the car on a cart.
Sloane Quealy, one of the New York rescue’s co-founders, tried soothing him with kind words and soft pets, but nothing helped. The pup was simply too scared to respond.
For the rest of the day, Sammie didn’t move. Quealy started wondering whether his legs had weakened from not walking for so long.
Because of how withdrawn he was, the team brought Sammie to a training center where he could decompress for a month, hoping he’d find the strength to stand again. What followed brought everyone to tears.
A New Beginning
All Sammie needed to begin healing was to see a few puppies who were rescued from the same New York apartment. As soon as he spotted them zooming around the yard, Sammie perked up and joined in.
It was like he knew he was finally safe.
“His soul may have been bruised, but he is on his way to healing. After he saw the pups Sammie let out the biggest sigh and laid down next to them. We knew at that very moment he knew he was safe and loved,” ZMAR wrote on Instagram.
Just a few days later, Sammie had transformed completely. He no longer hid in the corners or froze in fear. Instead, he became a happy, playful pup. He joined in playtime with the puppies and asked for cuddles every chance he got.
Thanks to his rescuers who brought him back together with his old friends, Sammie was finally able to start over.
After a month at the training center, Sammie will be ready for adoption. His future home should have experienced German Shepherd owners, a big yard, and maybe even another dog.
After all Sammie has endured, he finally deserves the very best.