Ghost was only a puppy when he was found roaming the streets of Florida alone.
He was taken in by Swamp Haven Humane Society in Florida, which decided he was unadoptable due to his distrust of people and his energy levels. He was also completely deaf, which made training difficult.
It wasn’t likely that a family was going to be willing to deal with all of Ghost’s problems.
The humane society didn’t want to euthanize Ghost, but it looked like that was the only option. The staff decided to give him another chance, so they started reaching out to other rescues who might be able to help him get the care he needs and maybe even someday get adopted into a loving home.
Olympic Peninsula Humane Society in Port Angeles agreed to take him. The staff contacted Barb Davenport, who is experienced with dogs and puppies with high energy levels and special needs. They knew if anyone could help Ghost, it would be her.
Barb has been a dog handler since she was just a little girl.
She participated in American Kennel Club junior showmanship and conformation, as well as 4-H dog programs. She also joined the U.S. Army in 1975 to become a K-9 handler.
When Barb was introduced to Ghost, she immediately realized how determined he was to find his ball. She felt like he would be a good candidate for a K-9. Barb has already trained over 400 rescue dogs to sniff out narcotics. She was confident that she could train Ghost, too.
She helped him get started with training, and Ghost now lives with his new handler, Joe Henderson.
Ghost is still participating in the training program but has made a lot of progress. He will stay with Joe for the rest of his life and work hard to help reduce drug crimes in Washington, D.C. Joe and Ghost get along great, and Ghost has finally found a place to call home and a purpose.
He went from unadoptable to a crime fighter in just a couple of short years. His life could have ended at the humane society, where he was almost euthanized, but thanks to Barb and a few other people who were willing to give him a chance, he gets to live a full life and use his high energy levels to help make Washington, D.C., a better place.
According to the ASPCA:
“Between 5-7 million animals enter shelters each year, while the American Humane Association puts the figure at approximately 8 million animals. Each year, about 3.7 million animals are euthanized. 5 in 10 dogs and 7 in 10 cats in shelters are euthanized simply because there is no one to adopt them. 25 percent of shelter dogs are purebred. 10 to 20 percent of dogs and cats owned are adopted from shelters.”
Many of these pets have stories like Ghost and could also have happy endings if more people were willing to give them chances.
Sadly, many people do not consider shelter pets when they are searching for new additions to their families. They go to pet stores and breeders to buy puppies. Some people will give those puppies up to shelters or simply turn them out on the streets a few months later.
It’s a vicious and unfair cycle.
Shelter pets are just as capable of being good pets as new puppies. Some have already been vaccinated and trained, so it makes things much easier for the owners. Ghost may have found a forever home, but this isn’t the case for many other pets in shelters. Hopefully, this story will motivate more people to adopt from shelters instead of buying from breeders and give more “unadoptable” pets a chance.
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