Our Story...
The first week of May 2018, I had just finished fostering three puppies and ended up adopting one of them. A few days later when an urgent foster was needed for a very scared, very unsocialized pitbull who was heartworm positive, I couldn’t say no. The first thing I noticed about Dara was her stare. She looked as if she was staring into your soul. She would walk on a leash, but wouldn’t let anyone walk behind her. She had to keep her eyes on you at all times. She was so wary of people, in fact, that she lived in our basement for a month, too scared to be in the main part of the house. Every day I earned her trust a little more. She went from hiding from me, to sitting close enough for me to see her, to sitting by my feet, and then sitting next to me. When she finally let me get close, I counted over 50 old scars on her body. I suddenly understood her mistrust. During the time she was living in the basement, I took in yet another urgent foster. This time it was a very senior beagle. One afternoon, I decided to leave the basement door open for Dara, to see if she would come up and explore. It took her four hours to gain the courage, but it was the 12 year old beagle and the 3 month old puppy that convinced her to come upstairs. She felt safe with them and I think she figured if they could trust me, she could too. I was determined to get her ready for a forever home, even though everyone kept telling me she was already in it and I was “her person.” Turns out they were right. A year and a half later, Dara is an irreplaceable member of my family, my pack, and my rescue team. She is the foster mom to all the tiny puppies that have come through and the goofball I cuddle up with each night. Dara reinforced my belief in how phenomenal and forgiving pitbull breeds truly are, but she also taught me that some dogs simply need time to recover from their pasts.
Six months after bringing Dara home, I rescued a 9 year old pitbull named Danger. She was scared and everyone was scared of her. She would lay in her kennel, eyes wide and shaking. Unlike Dara, it was people that didn’t trust Danger. As with a lot of cases, her fear was mistaken for aggression. The reality was that she was terrified and confused. Her whole life had been turned upside down. She was even scared of other dogs. She had lived in the same home her entire life and had never been around other dogs. Being thrown into a shelter full of them just made her shut down. She was given a very short time to adjust and then it was the day. I got a call from a friend saying if I didn’t come get her, she was going to be euthanized that afternoon. I didn’t even know her well, but I knew she wasn’t a bad dog. I drove up in my pajamas, put her on the leash, and we hopped in the car. She immediately covered my face in slobbery kisses. I had never felt more sure about anything in my life. I had made the right decision. Danger wasn’t dangerous at all. Danger, now Angel, is living out the rest of her life with us. She loves people, loves toys, car rides, and she loves to play soccer. She is probably the happiest dog I’ve ever met.
A New Day Rescue is dedicated to, and inspired by, these dogs and all of the dogs like them. We want to give shelter dogs a new shot a life, despite their past and their feelings on shelter life. Today they might be in the shelter, but tomorrow is A New Day and they will be safe and happy with us.
