Some dogs end up in shelters and find new homes within a few days.
Other go there and never come home. Jessica was sent to the shelter over and over again. Every time someone adopted her, things didn’t seem to work out, and they ended up bringing her back.
Jessica lived at Second Change Rescue for four years, and the volunteers there just thought it was bad luck.
They wanted to see her go to a good home, but nothing seemed to work out. She had come to them after being dropped off at a shelter in New York City.
She had recently given birth to puppies, although nobody ever found them, and she had a horrible case of mange. She also had a lot of other infections and health problems. A volunteer at the shelter named Ward said:
“She had horrible, horrible mange — really bad. The best way I can describe it is that she looked like a plucked chicken. She also had small secondary infections — she had scabs and then she developed kennel cough.”
Second Change Rescue took in her and treated her.
The group found a couple who wanted to adopt her, but they brought her back within five months. The shelter was sad for her and they knew Jessica was sad, too. Ward explained:
“She wound up being adopted by a couple who seemed committed and we took it very slow. They visited her a couple times, then they did an overnight, and then they were sure they wanted her. Fast forward five months, they changed their minds and said they couldn’t keep her anymore.”
Then, Jessica was adopted by a new family.
Thing didn’t work out there, either. Ward said:
“They had a 2-year-old and the wife was eight months pregnant at the time. A couple months later, [Jessica] was returned. It was nothing that she did — they just had a newborn baby and a toddler and didn’t have time for her.”
They could tell that Jessica wasn’t taking things well.
She was attached to two different families, and they both brought her back. She needed a stable place to live with a family that had the patience for her and who would care for her forever.
Ward said:
“When she was in Virginia and returned the second time, I think she was definitely affected by that. I saw pictures of her, and she just looked sad. Even for the most resilient dog (and she’s pretty resilient), I can’t imagine being bounced around that much.”
Jessica eventually found a great foster dad, but he had to have surgery and Jessica had to be boarded long term. She was getting care, but she still didn’t have a stable life. Ward added:
“The place where she is now — she’s kind of happy, but kind of sad. She’s comfortable there. But at the same time, it’s not a home — it’s boarding.”
They had hope for Jessica, and they knew that the right home is out there; it would just take some time to find it.
She went back to Second Chance Rescue, where she waited for someone to come along and give her the home she so desperately needs. Ward said:
“She needs to be the only pet, but I think that there’s a misconception that she’s wild and crazy, but she’s really not. And even though she can’t be around other dogs … she doesn’t go crazy when she sees another dog. If you pass at a distance, she feels comfortable and just ignores them. She is the most affectionate dog. You cannot take her for a walk without every other person stopping to say hello to her because she’s so, so sweet. She’ll stop and she’ll look at people, and then she’ll stand in place and wiggle and she tap her feet around — it looks like she’s tap dancing.”
The shelter wouldn’t give up on her.
To help Jessica and other dogs find the homes they deserve, the rescue made a Facebook page for her. They share photos and stories about Jessica’s progress, and they help other animals find homes, too.
Finally, a family came along that wanted to keep Jessica forever.
She is now in her forever home, where she gets plenty of attention, love, and care. She never has to worry about going back to the shelter again.
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DRUMROLL please — after more than 4 years of waiting, JESSICA IS HOME!!
We apologize in advance for the long post but…
Posted by Second Chance Rescue NYC Dogs on Saturday, November 11, 2017
