Sasha

The woman lived in Maryland and needed to surrender her dog. There were several rescue organizations in her area, but a friend recommended that she contact our Society. Sasha was two years old, a classic beauty, and weighed 101 pounds.

The woman had grown up with Great Pyrenees dogs; she cherished the breed and Sasha, in particular. The woman knew Sasha’s every like and dislike. She got along with other dogs, chased squirrels, and loved being brushed. She was fond of playing one-sided fetch, as she seldom brought any stick back. Most notably, Sasha was often anxious and had severe separation anxiety. If her owner left her alone for more than thirty minutes, she would leave music on for her. A particular Walt Disney soundtrack, Moana, seemed to soothe her the most. The woman groomed her daily, “Her new family will need to love hair.” Sasha was regularly taken to the veterinarian and was only fed the highest-quality food. But, Sasha had to find a new home because the woman had to go away indefinitely. “I love her so much, but I have to go on a mission. My heart is broken, but I trust you all and know that you will keep her safe.” The woman didn’t hesitate to make the long drive from Maryland with Sasha to meet us, and we agreed to take this lovely dog to our adoption center. When Sasha began her stay with us she was quite nervous and upset.

A few days went by before she would lift her head up off her paws to look at us. She did respond well to treats, which she gently took from our hands. We knew there was hope for her to adjust, but it would take a great deal of time and patience. At first, she didn’t want to walk outside. “You’ll need three people to get her inside a building, one behind and one on each side.” Thankfully we didn’t find that to be the case. But we didn’t push her; we took her up to our enclosed dog roof run so she could exercise off-leash and get to know us. Sasha was smart and wanted to please the people who cared for her, and we let her gain her confidence in baby steps. Our dog handlers spent a great deal of time with her. Sitting next to her, leaving and then returning with no fanfare. One kennel person downloaded Moana, her Disney favorite, on his phone and they listened together while he massaged her ears; he quickly became one of her favorite people. In a relatively short time, Sasha began to feel comfortable and looked forward to her walks and happily interacted with everyone. It almost sounds too perfect, but through a friend of the Society, we are pleased to report that Sasha is back to being a country girl. She is now part of a wonderful family on a farm in Vermont.

Any dog can be a shelter dog. Any age, any breed, any size. Like Sasha, you can be beautiful and still find yourself without a home.