Special homes for special needs

One of the problems many shelters face is the rehabilitation of a special needs animal. These needs can be as simple as not being housebroken to being so traumatized the dogs simply stay in their kennel and shake all over when a human tries to approach.

People who deal with animals like this in a shelter situation believe they can all be rehabilitated. Many times, in many shelters, the number of animals you are housing conflicts with the time needed for rehabilitation and the special needs animals lose the battle.

When DeSoto arrived at the shelter he came with 2 brothers and a sister. His sister was pregnant and all the dogs were so traumatized, we wondered if we could ever find them homes. With hard work, all have been adopted except DeSoto. He was the most timid of the group, had very little socialization, had heartworms and was in bad shape.

Although he is housebroken and has been around children, at first we could not even get him to come out for a walk and had to get kennel staff to put his leash on. His confidence level was very low and once his siblings had been adopted, his confidence seemed to plummet even further.

Through the dedication of one volunteer, he has made remarkable progress and is now looking for a dedicated owner who understands his issues and will be willing to work on them.

DeSoto will probably always be shy. I have never heard him bark. The normal border collie traits seem to be gone with the exception of his intelligence. He has been practicing on the agility equipment with his volunteer human to try and boost his confidence. He finally took a treat from Jay yesterday after months of coaxing and has reached a point where he needs to be out of the shelter and in his own home. He loves other dogs so perhaps a home with a confident dog would help him even further.

If you believe, as I do, all animals deserve that second chance at life. If you understand the issues DeSoto has and are willing to help work through them, please call the shelter at 955-4131 and ask about adopting him. He won't crawl in your lap and give you kisses, but the small breakthroughs are adding up and the bond he forms with a new owner will be lifelong. The kisses may not be here right now, but they could be the next breakthrough.