The little body in the cage was as rigid as cement. She had been spotted on the road and pursued for several blocks by a lady who was determined to rescue her, and having been eventually trapped, it seemed her defense mechanism was simply to freeze.
I had to pull quite hard to get her out of the cage, but once out and wrapped in my arms she clung on to me for dear life, so I didn’t attempt to put her on the ground. We just sat, she on my lap, her nails holding on tight to my knees, and me rubbing her head and mumbling softly to her. After a while she relaxed her hold on me, laid her head down and permitted herself a big sigh, but every time another person came by, especially if it were a man, she would seize up again. Management suspected the worst kind of abuse, and there was talk of putting her down because there would be no recovery. I became fiercely protective, as I was certain I could bring her back.
For a couple of days we just sat, and as I felt her a little more at ease I started trying to cut away some of the fur grown over her face, so she could see, and to my surprise she let me. Then gradually I began snipping at the matts all along her body. She allowed me to do this, and even let me lay her on her side, and from this vantage point I could trim all down one flank, and then the other. But she wouldn’t let me turn her over, or put her on the floor. So I continued trimming down the sides of her body and her legs, till they were looking pretty good, and then in one swift movement, without her realizing what was happening, I set her on all fours and burst out laughing, because I had given her a mohawk. There was a ridge of hair sticking up right down her spine, where the side-snipping hadn’t quite reached the middle. She didn’t object to me straightening it up, and by that time she had realized that she was standing on the ground and it wasn’t too bad, so we took a little walk, which ended fairly quickly with her two front legs up on my knee and a look of panic on her face.
The good thing about all the trimming, though, was that I discovered a wound behind one ear, which initially appeared to be a little knot of fur, but turned out to be quite a deep hole, which thank goodness had not yet filled with maggots, so I was able to have it treated right away.
Most dogs when taken out of their cages struggle to be put on the ground and take off running, but Jasmine never did that. She was now quite happy to come out of the cage, but she would put her two front paws around my neck and her two back legs around my waist, and hold on for dear life. It still took her several more days of walking, each day for a little longer, to feel safe on the ground, and then she began to enjoy herself among the banana trees. She liked the rustle of the dead leaves as she shuffled through them, and each day she gained a little more confidence, although she still looked up to me every minute or so for reassurance.
Another thing I had noticed at the beginning was that, unlike everyone else who would usually pee and poop as soon as they were taken out, Jasmine did neither. I began to wonder whether there was something wrong with her, although I would occasionally find traces in her cage when I took her out, and it was a huge relief when one day she backed up to a banana tree and had a good go both ways. Thereafter she behaved quite normally in this respect; it was as if the ice had been broken, and she wasn‘t afraid any longer to do it out in the open.
The next milestone was when Jasmine actually started prancing around, looking for all the world like a little sheep, and she no longer needed to be in my lap but was content to sit beside me on the bench and look around. We would sit like this for some time and suddenly she would turn to me and lick my cheek. It was exquisite. Jasmine was coming back.
One afternoon I was rubbing between her paws, checking for ticks, and found an unusual little lump. When I took the scissors to it, with her looking on, I cleared a little knot of fur and found underneath a black hole which turned out to be the end of a half-inch long prickle, as dark as the spine of a sea urchin. How it got there I couldn’t imagine. I pulled at it and out it came and Jasmine didn’t say a word. I was so proud of her. That same afternoon, with no prodding at all, she slid down from a sitting position and lay on her back, exposing her tummy for me to stroke. Another milestone.
But she would need a very special owner, someone willing to take time with her, make no sudden movements, and continue bolstering her self-confidence, which still had a way to go. Where would I find such a person? Not far away, as it turned out.
There were two lovely young sisters who came to volunteer whenever work permitted, and they had adopted a tiny white poodle puppy who was scheduled to be put down because he was blind and deaf. They called him Mozart, took him home and taught him to find his way around the house. He blossomed. And they wanted company for him. I couldn’t have asked for a better home.
As it happened, when I saw them about a week later they said Jasmine was settling in beautifully, but wasn’t very interested in Mozart, nor he in her. Instead, she had made great friends with the family cat, and played and rolled around with her all day. What can I tell you?
Wonderful — you did right by NOT giving up on Jasmine — thank you so much. For the sake of information, please note the following : Pay a visit to : https://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/ — Healthy & treatable animals shall NOT be killed — Only those animals who are physically suffering irremediably — Irremediable physical suffering means an animal who has a poor or grave prognosis for being able to live without severe, unremitting pain even with prompt, necessary, & comprehensive veterinary care, such as an animal in fulminant organ system failure. QUESTION : Is there such a thing as “irremediable psychological suffering”? — The Answer is NO! — There is NO SUCH THING as an animal who is irremediably psychologically or behaviorally suffering — They can & must be saved — It should, therefore, NEVER be a death sentence as some pro-killers have suggested.
God bless you for being such a loving person caring for Jasmine!!
Rachael – they said she had probably been sexually abused, and could not be rehabilitated. I am grateful they allowed me the time to prove them wrong.
WOW! I cried, because this is what I have loved doing for years! You have the passion and love dogs can sense and need soooo desperately in those terrible, traumatic times. You have given Jasmine her joy of life back and a wonderful future. She will NEVER forget you and what you have done for her! Thank You!!! ?
Thank you so very much for rescuing and saving Jasmine from being put down. You knew best and she did great with your patience and guidance! Bless you!
Thankyou for saving this baby xx
Thank God for people like you. You have given Jasmine her life back.
Such a wonderful outcome, thanks for sharing and all your efforts!
Love the happy ending!! Bless u all that helped her along the way!
Glad she survived. The helpers never gave up. What a wonderful crew they are.
Great story! God Bless these volunteers and caretakers that take in animals that need their own form of rehab from some of the cruel treatment they received from some people.
She’s soooooooo cute. Love her. Happy she’s found a furever, loving home!!!! ??????
Whoops! This comment was for Racheal
I thank heaven every day for people like this. This shows what a little time and a lot of TLC can accomplish.
Who couldn’t fall in love with Jasmine’s adorable face. She has the best home ever, with loving people.
And maybe Mozart will come around – time and TLC 🙂
Unfortunately that happens too often Some animals are so traumatized that many shelters feel that they don’t have the time or resources to spend on rehabbing. This happens especially to cats – only two of every 10 to go into shelters come back out. Cats don’t do well in tiny cages and seem aggressive or unresponsive, and so are slated to be destroyed. And I know what I’m talking about. I can no longer go into shelters due to shelter burn-out.
I’ll volunteer off-site and do mailings and such, but I can’t go in and see all the innocent faces, just waiting for someone to love them.
I agree, Rachael. I think there are varying degrees of love. Those of us who love from our hearts want to do whatever it takes to help all animals. I wish we could love them all.
Thank you , you are angels .
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME AND HAVING THE PATIENCE TO RESCUE THIS CUTE LITTLE PUP! SHE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT! So glad she has a forever home already 🙂
Congratulations, Cindi. It takes an astute person to realise that not every dog (or animal) needs to be put down because they are scared. Wow betide these people that make these sort of decisions. KARMA will visit you. Go Jasmine, and I hope you live a long life with the 2 young sisters who took you home after Cindi did her great work.
Wat geweldig dat Jasmine is gered!!!…veel geluk lief meisje!!!!!!
I don’t understand this comment: “Management suspected the worst kind of abuse, and there was talk of putting her down because there would be no recovery.” What a horrible thing to say/determine so soon after this poor dog was found. Perhaps I’m not understanding the line if reasoning? Thank you for not allowing this and saving this precious dog!
These are the kind f humand friends animals need not abusive human beings who torture and kill these voiceless creatures. I’m glad she found good companions for her.
What an awesome story. I’m so glad that Jasmine went to a loving forever home and made friends with the cat. I hope that they find a friend for Mozart.