Hope's Story


When we first met Hope at the shelter in the later part of November 2005 she would not walk on a leash, only crawl on her stomach. She would not look at us and cringed from our touch. Hope was considered "a rough case" and "spooky" so she could not be placed in one of the shelter's foster homes and had to stay at the shelter. Over the weeks Hope had become even more aggressive and was finally deemed unadoptable. The shelter would only release her to a breed rescue that had the experience to help her.

We were told we were her last chance of leaving the shelter alive. Earlier that day she had gone after the kennel attendant and she was scheduled for euthanasia. Our apprehension increased as we read her paperwork that was repeatedly marked ?aggressive?, ?will bite?, ?caution?, and ?sneaky?. But we felt Hope deserved a chance - she?d been through so much, so we took the risk. As we have done so many times before and continue to do today, helping an emotionally and physically damaged dog learn to trust people and find a new life.

Hope was a Katrina dog. We can only imagine her terror at being left behind by her owner to ride out the devastating storm alone and frightened.  Found living under a house Hope had run from everyone that tried to help her after her horrifying ordeal. A trap was used to finally catch her. She spent weeks in a cage at the animal rescue site in Louisiana waiting for someone to reclaim her.  Then there was the long trip to Texas to another shelter where she sat for many more long weeks waiting in another cage, hoping someone would save her. Almost 3 months in a shelter cage is difficult for any dog but it is especially hard for a German Shepherd.

Our rescue group had decided from the onset not to take any Katrina dogs directly from evacuation shelters in the Gulf States as we had questions about how dogs and owners would be identified and reunited, and no one had any answers. Instead, we continued to take local dogs out of area shelters to help make room for the waves of dogs coming from the Gulf Coast. We worked with displaced families who had evacuated with their beloved pets to find options for living arrangements. We took in some owner released dogs (directly from the owners), helping families who had saved their dogs from the disaster but when faced with an uncertain future made the difficult decision to give their pets a chance at a stable, secure home.

When we were contacted by the shelter about taking Hope we repeatedly asked how long she needed to be held to await a previous owner. We were assured that the legal deadlines established by the State of Louisiana and the responding humane organizations regarding the date by which the animals could be claimed by previous owners had been met, extended and met again. Just to be safe, we were asked to consider any adoption tentative through the end of the year.

Hope was loaded in the car with some difficulty (but no signs of aggression). During the long drive, we were encouraged when Hope sniffed at the back of our head and checked out the bag of treats sitting at our elbow. Stopping to pick up another dog, we gave Hope her first chance to experience freedom in several months. With a long lead attached to her collar, she was released into a fenced yard with a couple of laid-back dogs. First she ran towards the fence, then towards the other dogs, and then she rolled in the grass. We sat on the grass and she came over and checked us out. She would not enter the house.

She was loaded up again and we continued on to her foster home: three fenced acres with free access to the house through dog doors, and about 20 other German Shepherds. Within minutes of arrival Hope became a different dog - she ran, she played, and then she jumped into our arms. Hope had found joy, security and a reason to live after so many months of fear and uncertainty.

Next came the process of dealing with her many issues - she was basically untrained and under socialized, all the characteristics of a forgotten backyard dog. We immediately started on housebreaking (which is relatively easy with a doggie door and other dogs to show the way) and a few basic commands (dogs have to ?sit? to get fed). Hope was hesitant about coming into the house, but realizing that she might be missing out on something she worked up the courage to brave the new territory. It was not long before she was sleeping by the bed at night.

In addition to her emotional and training issues, Hope was in poor physical condition with pre-existing medical problems that stemmed from more than her ordeal with Katrina. She was positive for heartworms and internal parasites, unspayed, had a lingering upper respiratory infection, and was underweight. Evaluated by the vet and a trainer he has on staff, it was recommended that Hope be adopted to an experienced home that could help her become healthy and reach her full potential.

Weeks later, after extensive medical work, we began carefully evaluating applications. A family that had applied and been approved to adopt from us a couple of months before Hope's arrival came out to meet some of the new dogs in mid-December. We really liked this family because they were looking for the dog that would fit with their existing family (a couple of young children and an older German Shepherd) - they weren?t in a hurry - they had been patiently waiting for the right dog. They asked to meet Hope and we warned them that Hope had an aversion to men. The dad sat on the ground to let Hope get used to him. To everyone?s surprise, Hope went right up to him and climbed in his lap. Hope had chosen her new family. She gladly climbed into their car and never looked back.

While it would be nice to say that they lived ?happily ever after?, Hope still had many issues that needed to be addressed. She regressed in her housebreaking. She didn?t just ?counter surf? - she climbed completely up on the countertops. Her anxiety at being left alone resulted in destructive behavior and extensive damage to the furniture and walls of her new home. Most people would have given up and brought the dog back to us but her family worked through each new problem, determined not to allow Hope to be abandoned again. By the end of the second month with her family, Hope had become a devoted and beloved pet included in all the family activities and faithfully sleeping at the foot of the bed of one of the children.

Finally a happy ending?

No.

After all the time Hope spent in the shelters, then in rescue, and then many months with her new family we are facing legal action to return her to Louisiana. This is many months after all the deadlines and extensions for holding rescued dogs have passed and in spite of  agreements with the State of Louisiana and the responding rescue organizations and the rescue groups and individuals that extended themselves to take in the masses of dogs from New Orleans and other affected areas.

Hope is being considered as lost or relinquished property.

Property rights laws are being invoked months after adoption deadlines have passed. Everyone who stepped up to help out in this crisis has now been told that previous owners have up to 3 years to reclaim the ?property? that was left behind in spite of the legal agreements. These actions are negatively affecting how shelters and rescue groups will respond to future disasters.

The responding animal rescues are being sued. The rescue groups are being harrassed and slandered. The families that opened their hearts and homes to these terrified animals are being threatened.

It has always been our belief that the core of the fight for animal rights is to STOP treating animals as property. They are living beings.

In the latter half of November 2005 we stepped in to save the life of a frightened dog with numerous pre-existing medical problems that had spent months in shelters waiting for someone to reclaim her. We were her only hope on that day. If we had not taken the risk, Hope would have died alone, frightened and forgotten in the shelter. It had nothing to do with her background, her former address, or her previous owners. It had everything to do with the immediate danger she was in after languishing in shelters for months.

We are now the target of a website and the recipients of hate mail calling us ?arrogant?, ?elitist?, and ?racist?, berating us for placing ?obstacles? and ?blockades? in the paths of the alleged former owner, of ?misleading? and ?lying? to Hope's family, and imploring us to do the ?right thing? by a ?nationally known animal rights attorney? who does not seem overly concerned about the well being of the animals involved.

For those of us who have devoted our lives, time, money and hearts to helpless animals, we believe that saving these animals? lives is the right thing.

Hope has been, and will continue to be, the center of our concern. She was rescued by us from certain death after months in shelters. She was nursed through her medical and emotional problems, and she found a wonderful home. With love, patience, and guidance she has learned what it is to be a cherished and well-cared-for member of her family.

Very little is mentioned about the animals at the center of each of these controversies. Not once, in all the emails and legal notices we have received, has anyone ? not once - asked for information about Hope or her well-being. There seems to be no concern about her from the attorney, the ?friends?, or the alleged former owner. There is a lot mentioned about the people involved, but they all seem to have once again forgotten about Hope.

Someone needs to represent Hope. We will continue to do what we started in November - we will do what is best for Hope.

   This is the essence of rescue.