Shelter Stories: Rudy

I’ve mentioned before I volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter about 20 miles from here.  It serves both as a last resort for local kill shelters (a lot of times we get dogs whose time has run out somewhere else) and as the place where city authorities send strays.

It’s an unfortunate location for such a wonderful place.  The shelter sits at the end of a long dirt road, through a trailer park and in between a waste water treatment plant and the city’s compost dump…there’s some kind of burning or churning going on pretty much all the time.

As a volunteer, my main job is to come in at least three mornings a week and walk as many dogs as I can.  Our dogs get at least one mile twice per day (morning and evening), depending on their size, health and the weather.  Short-haired dogs get shorter walks in winter; dogs with thick coats get shorter walks in the summer heat.

Since I don’t have a job or classes to get to, I also spend some time just hanging out with the dogs.  If they’re very active (maybe a hunting dog or a border collie) we’ll go out into the fenced run and play fetch.  If they’re sick (we have a lab mix recovering from heartworm treatment right now) we cuddle.  If they’re damaged and frightened (which happens too frequently) I’ll just sit with them in their pens, speaking softly and maybe tossing them treats.

Last summer we got a 5-year-old shepherd mix that’d been confiscated from his abusive owner.  We called him Rudy.  He spent the first two weeks completely still in the corner of his pen, curled as tightly as he could be.  It was as though he was deciding if he wanted to live or die.

He didn’t like to be touched but wasn’t aggressive, so we’d brush him and stroke him and spray him with fly ointment (they’re merciless in the summer months) every day.  Eventually he got used to our presence even if he didn’t want it.

Rudy got friendly with another dog at the shelter, a three-year-old yellow lab called Teddy.  Rudy hated to be leashed (every time he was put on a lead he’d immediately crawl into his doggie igloo and refuse to budge) but one of the staff found out he’d stay with Teddy while on a walk.  The first day I saw him out in the world with Teddy, romping and smiling a dog smile, I thought I’d cry.

As the months went by Rudy eventually got more confident.  He’s still very timid, but he actually gets excited to see some of the volunteers.  Yesterday we had a major breakthrough: he walked on a leash, by himself, with his favorite staffer!  The whole shelter was abuzz J

This means he’ll soon be available for a “special” adoption, one where the adopter is informed of the dog’s unique issues and extra care is taken with his placement.  Rudy will need a devoted, patient and gentle owner who will take the time to gain his trust and affection.

But until he meets that owner and heads off to his "furever" family, Rudy will have a loving home with us at the shelter.