April arrived to Dhana Metta Headquarters in January 31, 2012. She had been abused and neglected for a very long time. This photo is of her the day she arrived. Open sores littered her body, and she was completely shut down. She wouldn’t stand up straight, and was terrified of people.
She went to the vet after a couple of days and was diagnosed with Demodex Mange. It had been left untreated for a very long time. April was only 2 years old when she came to us. On February 7th 2012 we took her in to get shaved down, so we could see the extend of the damage the demodex had caused to her skin.
She did so well at the groomers, and never once showed any ounce of aggression, despite being treated so badly by her human. After her shave I think she felt better, she seemed to stand up taller, and started looking around with curiosity.
February 22, 2012 Her sores were already starting to heal with the medication she had been taking…. and I believe that being allowed to be indoors with us also helped her heal faster. We had to take baby steps with April. So we generally never forced her to do anything. We just let her be. April did not like the leash and collar, I think she only associated those with punishment. She wore a pretty pink harness instead – so we could begin positive leash training.
June 13, 2012. 6 months of being with Dhana Metta. April’s sores were gone, and her fur started to grow back… she looked so beautiful. The first couple of months were so new to April, this was scary, but exciting. She had new friends, both dog and human. She learned to walk on leash, and started enjoying our daily outings…. unless we ran into other people.
January 17th 2013. Almost one year after April’s arrival. She had learned to be off leash, and sticks with the pack. She would come when called, and had just flourished into a confident young lady. Her fur had grown in and she gained a little weight. We were so proud of how far she had come.
September 3rd, 2013. April had adapted to life at Dhana Metta. She had lots of doggie friends, and I have to say, she got along with all of them. She proved to be non aggressive to her human counterparts, and her dog and cat friends. She made amazing progress, and her time to move on to a forever home was coming.
November 22, 2013. April exudes confidence…. but she had never left Dhana Metta Headquarters. Placing her into a perfect home was the goal, but ensuring that stress was kept as low as possible during her next journey – her next step – her next home, was the most important.
That time finally came…. that perfect home finally came! February 4, 2014. 2 years after her arrival. 2 years of rehab…. (with still some more to come with her new forever family).
Having shared my life with April for 2 years was an amazing, rewarding experience. Watching this broken dog stand up and be happy again was worth all the time, money and effort.
Dhana Metta Rescue Society strives to help the broken souls heal from the damage caused by their human counterparts. We take pride in providing a save place for each and every dog (or cat) to stay while they are in their transition period. And some dogs stay here forever…. their sanctuary.
We rely solely on donations and this is where it all starts. Please click the donate button and ask your friends to share our rescue stories.
100% of all donations goes towards the animal of Dhana Metta Rescue Society.
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