It’s the sad truth that many dogs and cats are put down in animal shelters every day.
It’s a distressing prospect for everyone involved. People who work at animal shelters hate doing it. Meanwhile, the poor animals are frightened and confused. It’s not often that an animal gets rescued with just minutes to spare.
Thankfully, it was a much happier experience for Edie, a dog who was adopted just an hour before her scheduled euthanization at a shelter in Lancaster, California. A woman named Bronwyne Mirkovitch stepped in, determined not to let Edie die. She contacted a friend, Eldad, who runs a rescue group called Hope For Paws, and asked him to come in.
“I got a call from my friend, Bronwyne, who told me about Edie,” reads the text on the owner’s YouTube video. “Edie was scheduled to be euthanized yesterday at the Lancaster shelter, but Bronwyne decided not to let it happen. She told me that Edie is really scared, and asked if I could meet her at the vet so I can evaluate her.”
Edie had been mistreated and abandoned.
She was in poor condition. Her fur was tangled, and she was malnourished. Unfortunately, her past abuse almost meant she was extremely nervous around humans.
But the man who wanted to adopt her took the time to approach her. At first, Edie trembled and barked. She was terrified at the prospect of what Eldad might do to her.
The video shows her running off into a corner the first time he tried to reach out and touch her. She barked and growled, clearly in a panic. Edie’s matted fur was growing over her eyes.
She was so scared that she soiled the floor.
Trying to calm her, Eldad picked her up and put her in his lap. He stroked her gently. Almost immediately, Edie began to calm down. Finally, she even climbed willingly into his lap and let him stroke her head.
He spoke to her gently and let her get used to him. Eventually, she began cautiously sniffing at the hands of the workers and even wagging her tail a little.
Edie’s fur was dirty and matted. She could barely see through the fur growing over her eyes. The workers decided to take her in to groom her, so she would be clean and comfortable. She stood obediently on the grooming table. She seemed to understand at last that they were there to help her.
With her new, close-clipped coat, Edie looked like an entirely new dog.
She seemed to be feeling better after her bath and haircut, rolling around on a clean towel and even nuzzling her new owner a few times.
“Everything is so scary at the shelter, especially when you weigh ten pounds,” reads a caption on Eldad’s video. “Please don’t overlook these animals when you are at the shelter. All Edie needed is a hug.”
While there are no recent statistics on the number of animals that are euthanized every year, estimates say about 56 percent of dogs and 71 percent of cats that go into shelters are euthanized. This might be because they are aggressive or sick or just because of overcrowding.
That’s why the video about Edie asks people to take a second look at animals that seem frightened or “high-maintenance.”
Sometimes, they’re not bad animals. They’ve just experienced mistreatment and need a bit of extra attention and patience.
The most recent estimate of the number of animals who are put to sleep every year in the United States is from 2008. Roughly 3.7 million cats and dogs were euthanized that year. Adoption rates are much lower. Only about 25 percent of dogs and 24 percent of cats in shelters are taken home to loving families.
It can be difficult to know how to deal with animals who have been abused.
Some dogs who have experienced abuse will be unusually aggressive. Others will be nervous and jumpy. They might start to panic if they hear loud noises, such as raised voices or if someone moves too suddenly. This is because they’ve been conditioned to expect violence from humans.
If you are caring for a dog that experienced abuse, it might help to work with a behavioral trainer. A professional can help you recognize your pup’s triggers, so you can avoid them. These might be making certain gestures, picking up certain objects (such as a newspaper or a tennis racket), or touching the dog in a specific area of their body.
You should always make sure to speak in a low, soothing voice around your dog and reassure them that everything is all right.
Abuse means different things to different animals. To some animals, it means being hit, yelled at, or hurt physically in other ways. For others, it can mean being neglected. This might include not being fed, being left tied up outside for long periods, or being left alone without a lot of human interaction.
The way a dog responds to people will depend on what they have experienced.
It’s a big responsibility to take care of an animal that’s been abused. Yet if you’re able to do so, it can lead to a long and rewarding relationship.
It will take a lot of time and patience, but it is possible to teach a dog that you can be trusted. In a lot of cases, you can undo the effects of the abuse and pave the way for a happy and loving relationship with your pooch.
Watch the loving rescue below.
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