Sally is an amazing 4-year-old American blue heeler mix who came to TAPS in August of this year. She appears to be dog-friendly and is the perfect size being only 32 pounds. She and her four older pups ended up at a rural animal control in Missouri with no resources and was lucky enough to be pulled for rescue. Upon her arrival at TAPS, she was shy and scared and, unfortunately, heartworm positive. Sally has recently finished her heartworm treatment and in her kennel, she is quiet, yet appears anxious to get out of the shelter life and find a new home.
Sally was a bit scared and uncertain of the car ride, but as I have stated in other articles, car rides for shelter dogs often means a change in environment and can be a stressful for dogs so it is not surprising to me that I had to help her in my car and she was a bit whiny. I do not believe she has ever been to a drive-thru because the Starbucks line seemed foreign to her and the taste of a Puppuccino (which is simply cool-whip) was clearly something she had never tasted before. Although once she got to my home, I saw a completely different dog that warmed my heart.
Upon arrival, she seemed to understand what “let’s go potty” meant and after she did her business she stood on my back porch, staring at the door and then at me, with a huge smile on her face because she knew she was at a home; she clearly has lived in a home before because her demeanor changed instantly upon arrival. After she investigated her new surroundings by rolling her body on all the different scents at my home, she quickly became quiet, content and just wanted to be near her humans and she loved listening to her humans talk to her. Overall, I believe Sally will settle into a new home quickly and I believe she will be a great family dog! It truly broke my heart to return her to the shelter as I fought the urge to keep her, and as I write this, I fight the urge to go get her and bring her home. Through my years of volunteering, there have been a few select dogs that pull at your heartstrings because they stand out for their sheer excellence, and Sally will be remembered by me as one of the great ones!
Visit www.tapsshelter.org/adoption-form if you’d like to submit an application for beautiful Sally!!!
