Samantha, a 4-year-old American Bulldog mix, was in dire straits when Miami-Dade Animal Services (MDAS) took her off the streets of South Florida.
Not only was he covered in dirt and in need of medical attention, but his face was heartbreaking.
sad dog
It’s a sad dog in the shelter
As soon as I arrived at the shelter, I gave them a good bath and checked them from head to tail.
Samantha, who was such a good girl, was soon back on her feet and healthier than ever. The shelter immediately began looking for her new forever home, listing her for adoption and posting her photos for the public to see.
The whole shelter was looking forward to the day when this little puppy would go to his new home full of laughter and joy. Unfortunately, they were shocked when a year went by without anyone asking about Samantha.
The sad dog behind bars looks sad
As time passed, Samantha began to feel sad and lose hope for a better future. A year later, Samantha’s shelter reached capacity and could no longer care for some of the dogs, including Samantha.
They quickly contacted Humans and Animals United, another shelter in Florida, to see if they could help find Samantha a forever home. HAU founder Rosa Fond was shocked after receiving some photos of Samantha in her kindergarten.
“Those photos broke us. We decided to pick her up, and then we’d figure out the rest,” said Rosa.
One of the HAU’s volunteers quickly made their way over to MDAS, ready to transport sweet Samantha to her new temporary home.
On Their Way
However, the volunteer couldn’t help but notice Samantha being very stiff, even after she did her best to try to make her as comfortable as she could be.
Samantha wasn’t really responding to the person who picked her up. She was too scared.
Deciding to try another tactic, the volunteer stopped her car, turned to Samantha, and simply talked to her in a very smooth and gentle voice.
She stopped the car and just talked to her for, like, 10 minutes. That’s when Samantha started opening up. She started smiling as the volunteer was talking to her.
As she finally felt seen and understood, Samantha’s frown turned upside down immediately.
After they had their little chat, the volunteer dropped Samantha off at a local trainer who agreed to board and work with Samantha for a 30-day period.
Even though Samantha hasn’t found her forever home yet, the change of environment sure did her some good.She did wonderfully there. She’s been doing so, so good.
Foster Home
When those 30 days passed, Samantha managed to find a loving foster home. Even though this may not be her forever home, this little doggo is still surrounded by love and attention.
And, she’s sure loving it.
She loves toys. She loves her bed, and she loves being with a human. All she wants to do is lay on someone and be petted.
It is obvious that Samantha understands and receives all the love she gets with open paws.
Rosa also believes that this is an excellent way for Samantha to finally find her forever home.
With her training and time spent around humans who shower her with attention, Samantha is an easy fit for any family dynamic.
I wish Samantha all the luck in her search, hoping that she will soon find the happy and loving forever family she truly deserves.
