Terra !
Terra Survives and Thrives
by new Mom, Nancy
Terra is a beautiful standard American Eskimo whose intelligent dark eyes look at the world with wonder and forgiveness. Her tail curves over her back and her perfect prick ears move as she thinks. She also has a raised black scar all around her muzzle that stands in stark contrast to her white face. Her foot has a ligature mark around it and is slightly misshapen. Large hunks of Terra’s matted coat have been shaved and what remains feels like straw and is stained from urine and feces. What happened to Terra?
Recently, a woman walked into a business in Vancouver, pulling a suitcase on wheels. She asked if they “take dogs” and the owner said no. When she unzipped the suitcase, a 35 pound white Eskimo fell out and an overwhelming stench of urine and feces wafted up. Her coat was tangled with mats, her muscles were atrophied, and she looked unbearably sad. Poor Terra had been locked in a bathroom her whole life with her muzzle wrapped in wire.
Two blessings happened that day: this woman released Terra from her torment and the business owner took one look and said “yes, we take dogs.” He talked to the woman and found out that she lived in an apartment that didn’t allow dogs, so Terra was wired up so she couldn’t bark. They took her out in a suitcase so no one would see her. And then the best thing: When the woman left, the owner called Big Heart Rescue.
American Eskimos are commonly abused dogs. They are frequently bred by puppy mills because they are absolutely adorable puppies and are briskly sold to impulsive humans wandering through pet stores. They suffer when isolated because they are very intelligent and athletic dogs. They have quick minds and love people. They deserve better.
Big
Heart Rescue moved quickly to save Terra. They bathed her, spayed her, dewormed
her, and gave her all of her shots. They inserted a microchip and put a tag on
her collar so that she could be identified if she was ever lost. And then they
placed her with a loving and skilled foster mom who fed her high quality food,
took her for walks on real grass, taught her to use the outdoors for her
bathroom, and gave her a safe and comfy place to lay her head. Terra was
learning that another world exists––where water was always available, food was
good, toys and dogs are fun to play with, voices are kind, and humans used their
hands to stroke and pat, not hurt.
Big Heart Rescue put Terra’s picture on www.petfinder.com to find her a forever home. The first day that Terra’s picture appeared, a woman with two dogs, two teens, and 20 years of dog training experience (using only positive methods) was looking for a rescue dog for her daughter’s piano teacher to adopt. And she saw Terra. The pictures were gut wrenching. Terra looked sad and dishevelled. Her body sagged and her tail drooped down. But, her eyes were those of an old soul with a forgiving nature and hope for the future. Nancy K. called Big Heart Rescue and said that if they thought that Terra would fit into her family well; if the family agreed; and if Terra got along with the two dogs (one a rescued dog who had been in a pound once and rescue twice); she would fold her into the family.
Terra
went to live with her new forever family only one week ago. In that week, she
has started to rebound to who she was meant to be. Her head is held high and her
tail curls over her back, the proud Eskie way. Her coat, brushed every day, is
falling out in bunches as the good food and supplements promote new, fresh,
white fur. When she met her new vet, she quietly walked up to everyone in the
office, and gently took treats and got pats. Nancy teared up when Terra first
barked––she is allowed a voice in her new home. Within days, she learned to stay
with Nancy off lead, so now she goes on hikes in the woods. She has splashed in
a mountain stream and felt tall grass brush her face. She holds her head up to
the sun’s warmth and at night curls up in a soft dog bed. She’s befriended her
new canine brother and sister and learned to chase a ball. Terra still falls
over sometimes because her coordination and muscles need to develop and
strengthen. She gobbles her food, perhaps thinking that the next meal might not
come for a long time. The scars on her face and foot will stay forever.
But, Terra seems to have forgiven humans for her first few years. She is a kind, intelligent, and spunky girl. Her eyes sparkle. Every day is bringing new experiences (chew toys, cottage cheese, dogs to play with, tricks to learn, and kindness all day long). Nancy K. and Big Heart Rescue hope that every person who meets Terra will see those scars and will realize that no dog should ever be treated that way. Perhaps it will move them to open their hearts and homes to a “throwaway dog.” Terra’s new life is beginning. We hope that the memories of the abuse and isolation will dim as she makes new memories of sun, fun, and love.
Contact Big Heart Rescue for more information.
