We wanted to share this story of one of our former shelter dogs, Levi, who was adopted by two of our wonderful volunteers. The story helps illustrate how giving a homeless animal a second chance may mean even more than it seems on the surface. 🥹
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“Some of you may remember Levi. For those who don't — about 6-7 years ago, my wife and I decided to get our first rescue together ... and Levi was it. He'd been down on his luck; he was underweight and abandoned, and had landed at CCHS.
“The day I picked him up, we got off to a rough start — he was so excited that he knocked me down (I laughed about it, and said he's definitely going home with me). …
“Not long after we got home, while I was giving him a good belly rub, I found some odd bumps on his stomach and inner thigh ... and at his first vet visit, we discovered what those bumps were. Before getting to CCHS (and us), Levi had been shot with buckshot.
“After discussing it with the vet, we opted to not have (the pellets) removed because removing them could cause more complications. (We ended up having one in his inner thigh removed, as it started causing him some grief.)
“Fast forward to this year — Levi has been living the high life with his other rescue brothers and sisters. One day earlier this year, something happened that led to him injuring his back. While he is better, there was some concern that it was related to that buckshot we knew he had in him, so very recently we had him X-rayed and were stunned by just how much he had in him.
“Judging from the X-rays, Levi was lying down/curled up when he was shot. Every white dot is buckshot ... in his face, his abdomen, his shoulder, his hip, his inner thighs. Frankly, he's lucky to be alive.
“That's the thing with rescues that people tend to not realize: At the shelter, information is limited to what is observed with the animals there. Their backgrounds are relatively unknown beyond that. Levi is a good example of that, and each of our rescues for the most part of had some kind of traumatic experience in life.
“Levi was shot and abandoned; Megan (named May at the shelter) was abandoned and then returned twice because she "played too rough"; Max, our coonhound, was within an hour of being put down by his owner because he got into an altercation with another dog; Luna, our one husky, was found tangled in fencing.
“Each are wonderful dogs, and for each of them it has taken time and patience to help them get through their past traumas.
“For anyone looking to adopt a rescue — I'd encourage it — but know that they will not be a perfectly trained pet at first. It takes time for them to adjust to new surroundings, and it takes patience because what they've been through is largely unknown when they arrive at the shelter.
“And in the end, they will be forever grateful!
“Who knows — my wife and I might just see you there at CCHS. We've rescued a number ourselves, and we volunteer as well!
“Cheers,
“Jeremy and Wendy”
