Heartwarming stories don’t have an expiration date, especially when it comes to dog rescues. Every true dog lover will be thrilled to hear about a poor soul rescued from a terrible fate.
Whenever we’re down, in our darkest hours, those stories are there to lift us up and give us hope.
And, there is hope for everyone.
Stuck in the desert for four months, this white German Shepherd girl thought it was the place where her life would end. If it wasn’t for good people, friends of paws, this gorgeous girl would have been lost forever.
But, it took time for Venus to warm up to the idea of people. Just when she thought she couldn’t take the heat anymore, Hope For Paws arrived, desperate to help her and save her from the desert.
The Salvation Day
The white German Shepherd named Venus was in a life threatening situation. Located next to a busy road, under burning sun, and taking temperatures over 100 degrees, Venus didn’t have much time.
The rescuers knew that it was finally time to make drastic measures and rescue Venus from the deathtrap. They knew Venus wouldn’t approach them on their own no matter the amount of food they offered her.
The dog was too cautious to come close to humans. We can only imagine what made Venus so wary of people.
Hope For Paws rescuers had to ask Dr. Scott Amsel to help them catch Venus. It was only possible by using a tranquilizer gun. It took a while, but a shot was made and Venus was down.
Although the scenes of Venus going down were devastating, the team knew they were doing the right thing. Venus would finally be safe.
Immediate help was provided in Dr. Amsel’s mobile vet unit. Fortunately, the vet stated that Venus was in good shape despite the long time spent in the desert’s harsh conditions.
Venus Is Waking Up
It was a long drive home, so the team of rescuers decided to spend the night at a hotel. Venus would feel much better if she could wake up in a stable environment… not in a mobile vet unit.
One of the rescuers stayed with Venus, waiting for her to wake up.
Several hours later, Venus was waking up from the anesthesia. She was still disoriented, wobbly, and uncertain where she was.
“Around 3 AM, I was awoken by a noise and found Venus sitting on the desk. I felt like she was ready for me to start working on gaining her trust.”, said the rescuer who stayed with Venus.
Slowly but steadily, one paw at a time, Venus was starting to relax. She didn’t mind being petted on the head. She actually enjoys human touch and feeling that someone really cares about her.
A New Beginning
The next morning, Venus and her Hope For Paws rescuer headed back to Los Angeles. It was time to get back to normal life and help Venus figure out what her next step would be.
Of course, enjoying a full grooming treatment and some pampering was the first thing on the list. The lovely GSD girl even got a blueberry facial! She was absolutely spoiled and she absolutely deserved it.
Venus was a brand new girl. The transformation was unbelievable. Once a lost pup in the desert, this German Shepherd was now showing her full potential. And, it was stunning!
It didn’t take long for Hope For Paws to find a furever family for Venus. The beautiful German Shepherd had an even lovelier temperament, so people stood in lines to adopt her.
Today, Venus is a happy doggo, enjoying her privileged life which she totally deserved.
The Devastating Statistics
Unfortunately, not every dog gets to have its happy ending like Venus. A lot of them end up dying alone, being abandoned, or being euthanized.
A devastating number of 50% of all shelter killings in the USA belongs to the states of Louisiana, California, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina.
California does participate in shelter killings, but the state still rescues the most pets out of all the other states. You can read more about rescue and killing statistics of pets in the USA here. |1|
Each year, according to the ASPCA, about 2 million dogs get adopted.
While it’s praiseworthy to learn that so many dogs get to find their furever home, it’s still a bit devastating. Think about it: the 2 million adopted dogs means that 2 million dogs were first abandoned or left to die.
Always choose to adopt instead of shop. All dogs need to have equal rights and equal chances of survival. Cases like Venus should never happen again.
|1| Best Friends Animal Society’s 2020 Pet Lifesaving Findings. (June, 25th, 2020). DOI