Princess Piper's Story began on December 1, 2016 when Farrah Dudley with Forever Home Animal Rescue and I went to the pound to see her. I first saw the post of a sweet, terrified dog named Pepper on November 26, 2016. She was so scared in the pound environment that she was completely shutting down. All she would do was lie in the corner of her "cell" and defecate on herself. Her situation was grim, as are many in that environment. For some special reason this particular dog spoke to me, but she was labeled rescue only. So thank goodness for Farrah. She agreed to evaluate her to make sure she would be a good fit with my other rescue babies, Rico and Bella. If she thought Pepper would be safe for me to foster, then she would pull her. On December 1st we met at the pound to see her. What we saw was so heartbreaking....but even then we did not know what was in store for us. Pepper walked in, scared to death. She was holding her head so low, only looking up with her eyes. There was no sound, now tail wagging, no emotion......but she was still speaking to me. I knew I had to help her. Little did I know just how broken that sweet girl was due to her past. Aside from that I told Farrah that her name had to be changed. She just was not a Pepper.......she was Piper! When she finally came to my house the roller coaster ride started. She immediately started eating and drinking, but she seemed to have a problem with her hips. So day two at her new home started with me crying and taking her to the vet. As it turned out, her hips were fine physically. Her problems where emotional....psychological. She had developed a strange gait with her hind legs as a defense mechanism because she was afraid to walk. Oh this dog was severely broken. I was fostering a dog with anxiety problems. I cried the entire way home. But she started doing better. The rest of the week she was eating and drinking - plus trusting me more and more each day. This was great news because the second week of fostering I had several small appointments on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Each day when I came home her crate bedding was a mess....and she stopped eating, she stopped drinking. By Thursday we were back at the vet. My new foster dog was experiencing separation anxiety. I just kept thinking.....OMG, what on earth has she been through in her past. But I didn't really want to know. So her meds were increased and whenever I left I had to increase them even more. We also got a calming collar for her. I didn't really see a lot of improvement, but she had only been with me for a couple of weeks. Then at 12:30 am on December 30th my world was turned upside down. Piper needed to potty but as soon as we got outside something scared her and in the blink of an eye, she literally jumped out of her collar. In a split second she was gone! I was devastated and didn't know what to do. I contacted Farrah and within an hour I had help from FHAR. What happened in the coming days was the most beautiful display of compassion for a special needs animal that I have ever witnessed. Not only did Forever Home Animal Rescue rally their troops to help me, but the the entire community also came together to help and support me. So many people volunteered their time to search for Piper, share facebook posts, create and post flyers, call with sightings and send prayers of support. Piper must have spoken to other people the was she spoke to me. She needed help. She was lost, alone, scared, hungry and out of her mind! We caught her 4.5 days later and it was the most precious day. I will forever be grateful to everyone who helped bring my foster baby home. Then on January 13, 2017 my sister, Janet, gave me the best birthday present.....EVER! She presented me with the adoption papers for Piper. Yes, it was official - I was a foster failure! And so begins Princess Piper's Journey.......
