She was in the holding area, tiny and black and badly matted. They said she was very aggressive and no one wanted to go near her, which meant that she probably didn’t have much time. Even so, I knew I couldn’t rush her, so I opened the cage door and waited to see what she would do. She seemed to have the same idea and her whole body pressed against the back of the cage, waiting to see what I would do, so I tentatively extended a hand on the ground in front of her. She looked at it and then at me.
I moved closer. She let out a tiny growl. I ignored it and waited, until eventually she leaned forward and began to sniff the hand all over, so I could then gently rub her cheek. She looked confused, as if she couldn’t understand why someone was being nice to her, and that convinced me that she must have gone through something pretty awful, to make her so suspicious and defensive.
Fortunately I was in no hurry, so I gave her the other hand to sniff, she examined it carefully and evidently found nothing wrong with it, so then I was able to rub both her ears at the same time, and this pushed her over the edge. She walked to the front of the cage, sniffed my face and climbed onto my shoulder.
So there we were walking around the yard, and Prinny was quite comfortable in my arms. I moved to put her on the ground and she swung around to nip me, but fortunately I sidestepped her and got out of range of her tiny teeth, and then just let her walk along at her own pace. Every now and then I would bend and stroke her gently, and each time she would start to swing round to bite, then realize it was not a precursor to an attack and she would subside. We walked for some time, and when I bent to pick her up this time she nearly got me, so I realized that this was a real challenge, and I would have to re-group.
I maneuvered her around to where I usually sit on a stone bench, and I sat. She walked around a bit at the end of the leash, then turned, looked at me, and jumped up beside me. Surprisingly, in this position she allowed me to pet her and at a certain point she actually lay down beside me. I was itching to get at the clumps of matted fur but knew I would have to take my time and wait till she was ready, so I just rubbed her ears and talked to her and didn’t push my luck. After a while I went to pick her up, and though she tensed up a bit she didn’t stop me. I got her back comfortably on my shoulder, and walked her back to the kennels, and she was quite calm as I placed her carefully back in the small cage and softly closed the door.
The next day she began to wag as soon as she spotted me, and came out with no problem at all. We went through the same process for a couple more days, and then I thought it might be time to try to work on her. She didn’t want me touching her rear end at all, or her legs, but she allowed me to cut the mats hanging from her cheeks, around her eyes and under her ears, and give her eyes a good cleaning. I’m sure this felt good to her, and she started nuzzling my neck, and getting progressively more friendly every day.
One of the reasons she was aggressive, I believe, was that she was hurting. I found dozens of burrs embedded in the mats, right up against her skin, which must have caused her pain every time she moved; I even cut them out from along her lips and under her chin. So, at a certain point her head, neck and chest were cleared of mats and looking good, but she still wouldn’t let me do anything with her legs which were all covered in thick blankets of matted hair. Fortunately, I had figured out that if I went very gradually as she was walking along, and put both hands gently around her middle at the same time, she didn’t know which side to snap at, and in the meantime I could quickly lift her up. Once she was up and in my arms, she realized I wasn’t going to hurt her, and then it gradually got easier, til I could bend and lift her with one hand and she would actually help me, giving a little jump as I lifted.
Photo courtesy Cindi Scholefield
Exactly a week after I had begun working with her, just as I was reaching frustration point, I had a breakthrough. I was beginning to get a little short with her, and telling her she had better decide to trust me because no one else was going to bother, and suddenly the leg that I had been tugging at went limp, she relaxed against me and I was able to make inroads into the layers of matted fur and, with a good deal of prodding and snipping, free one front leg. As I rubbed it to get the circulation moving, she looked at me in something like amazement, and licked my cheek. What a moment!
After that she was putty, and I could even flip over a paw and dig away at the hardened fur mixed with twigs and pebbles between her toes and pads. She also allowed me to roll her onto her back and remove the mats on her chest and under her arms. We were really making progress and I was so excited.
However, it seemed that her trust was restricted to me, as the workers still refused to have anything to do with her, except to tease her, which of course made her go after them. They seemed to enjoy seeing which one of them could hit her on the head without getting bitten.
One afternoon I arrived just in time to save her life. . .
One of the workers had decided to put a rope around her neck and take her for a walk. She had panicked, pulled and snapped at him. He got frustrated and vexed, and chucked her back in the cage, rope and all. The rope was so tight she had vomited and was barely breathing. One of the vets, in passing, told me not to go near her as she was too aggressive, but I opened the door and she immediately put her two front paws on my shoulder, while I promised her I would get the rope off her. It took a full 5 minutes to loosen, and she was very patient, and stayed in that same position, because she knew I was trying to help; finally she was free and I took her outside in the fresh air, gave her some food and water from my car, and by and by she began to feel better. I still shudder to think what would have happened if I had been delayed, or decided not to go that day.
I knew it was going to be difficult to find someone to adopt her, so I sent out emails asking for a kind, gentle lady (she definitely hated men) who would have the patience to work with her and win her confidence. A call came in that same night, very late, and the next day the girl met me at the shelter and signed up the papers, along with a declaration, at management’s insistence, saying she had been warned that the animal was violent.
Arrangements were made to spay Prinny in the next few days, even though the waiting list was a few weeks long, because management wanted her out of there. I was a little nervous as to how the spaying would go, and sure enough they told me she had gone berserk and tried to bite everyone in the room, but that the surgery had been done successfully. She and I continued our walks and by this time she was thoroughly trimmed, combed and looking lovely, and very affectionate. But her new owner didn’t come for her.
I tried every way possible to find her, but she was not at her house, nor did she answer her phone or return calls, and I began to worry again that Prinny would either end up with someone who wouldn’t know how to deal with her — whom she would bite, and end up thrown in a gully — or be put down as unadoptable.
Then fortune smiled.
One afternoon I was walking with her in my arms and was hailed by a girl I had met the previous week, who was in the process of adopting one of the male shihpoos. She really liked Prinny, and to my surprise Prinny took to her too. We brought out the little male she was adopting and put them together and they immediately started playing and interacting — so that sealed the deal.
On the day when the girl came to collect Prinny, it was really hard to say goodbye, especially since she couldn’t understand why I was leaving her with this person and kept trying to follow me. I waited what seemed an eternity (but it was only two days), and called her. She said the only problem she had was that Prinny wanted to sleep in her bed instead of the brand new one she had bought for her, and that she didn’t really like her Dad so much, but that she was learning. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Photo courtesy Cindi Scholefield
I never heard another word from the first girl; it was as if she had dropped off the face of the earth. She’d seemed so nice and genuinely caring that it puzzled me. But after a while the penny dropped — she had never intended to adopt Prinny in the first place, but had paid the adoption fee to buy her a little more time to find the right person.
And it worked.
THANK YOU to the wonderful Rescuers who intervened and saved Prinny from NEEDLESS death — PLEASE REMEMBER THIS — : — NO-KILL is an innovative, cost-effective model of animal sheltering that allows open admission animal control shelters to END killing. Unlike the “adopt some and kill the rest” form of animal sheltering that has dominated in the United States for the past 100 years and is responsible for the NEEDLESS deaths of millions of healthy & treatable animals every year, NO-KILL shelters are saving as high as 99% of all animals entrusted to their care — A shelter achieves NO-KILL when it ends the killing of all animals, EXCEPT those 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 — Shelters are in the business of caring about, protecting, sheltering animals who are waiting for their forever homes. IT IS CRUEL, UNCONSCIONABLE, IMMORAL, SHAMEFUL, & CRIMINAL TO KILL, TO SLAUGHTER HEALTHY & TREATABLE ANIMALS.
What a beautiful story with a happy ending. The people at your place of work shocked me, but thanks to you kindness and persistance, this wonderful little pup will have a wonderful life. Thank you so much!
That was just a lovely story I like those ones.
Condo you are amazing, it takes a special kind of person to calm, treat and gain trust from a poor abused soul like Prinny. Your patience, compassion and understanding are inspirational, some of the staff there should not be working with abused, abandoned and or neglected dogs until they receive some proper training in empathy, compassion, maybe even humanity towards animals.
Print looks just like my Shorkie; Buddy. Keep up the phenomenal work Condo, you have a gift. God bless you. I hope Prinny is now happy and she has a long, healthy and beautiful life. Would love to know how Prinny is doing.
Perserverance pays off. Thanks to the lady that paid the adoption fee!! Prinny now has the lap of luxury she so richly deserved.
Great story. Loved it
So sweet. I hope this VIOLENT!!!??? Little pooch will be safe & happy forever!! ????????????????
thanks for your patient work and saving prinny. she is adorable! i adopted a brother/sister rescue kitten pair found abandoned. the male, montague, was terrified of everythiing and i spent a lot of time ‘gentling’ him and gaining his trust, just like you did with prinny. he was never ever agressive, only afraid. he never hissed or swatted at me, and never exposed his claws. 2 yrs later, montague is still very afraid of others and will often flee if he sees someone new. but he really loves and trusts me, doing lots of flirtting, rolling onto his back, holding onto my arm with his legs and paws, bringing me closer to him, opening his legs wide as he lies down so i can slide my hand and arm between them to scrach his tummy, ane then more rolling, rubbing against me, and making little humming noises, eyes half shut in ecstaxy! so we reallyhave a special bond.
so many animals who might seem ‘unadoptable’ just need the chance to bond with someone. i now have montague, missy, plus 2 older cats, a small poodle and japanese spitz, and often all 6 will sleep in bed with me! bisho, the jap spitz, is a character who often will lick the cats on their heads.
i congratulate all who helped this little beauty!
I am so glad that you worked with her and gave her a much deserved second chance at life. May she live a long, safe and happy life. Shame on the animal welfare workers who continued the abuse of this dog. Perhaps they need should stop working with animals it’s obvious they have no respect for them. These people should be fired!!
Leanne I SO agree!! Those people should NOT be working with animals, and especially any animals with the kinds of problems these little souls have as their behaviour towards them only exacerbates the situation & is the farthest thing from “help” for them. Cindi, since you know where this place is and who the people are, is there some way you could suggest — no — INSIST that these people take proper training on how to deal with animals in such dire need of care and comfort?? Did you report their treatment of Prinny to the people who “run” or own the facility — or to city hall if that’s who’s in charge of managing the place?? If not, I sincerely hope you will draw the attention of the proper authorities to this unprofessional and totally unhelpful staff.
THANK YOU to all who intervened & rescued Prinny — With patience, knowledge & love, you need NOT kill off healthy & treatable animals — we all deserve to live.
Awwww!!!! Thank you so much for your patience with Prinny and finding her a good home. Thank God for people like you for these poor animals. I’m sure Prinny will live happily every after ♥♥
I am so glad Prinnie finally has the life she deserves thanks to the patience, perserverance, empathy, kindness and compassion of Cindi (with no help it seems from co-workers). These great qualities are worth developing and if you don’t possess them please do not work with homeless, abused and abandoned animals because this is what they need to heal.
It amazes me that any shelter would allow any employee to treat an animal as that one did and still let them work or help out there. The do not deserve to be around animals. What the hell kind of place was this? Thanks for 1 kind soul that saved Prinny’s life. You are indeed an angel.
Margaret, I agree. Lovely rescue story, but I could not believe what I was reading about abusive shelter workers. I had to reread that part several times. Is there a way to find out what shelter this is and report them?