Meet Dobby: A Homeless Dog
Ever considered adopting an abused dog? Sadly, many owners mistreat their dogs by physically and verbally abusing them. Some are lucky enough to get rescued and find homes, while others spend their entire lives at the hands of abuse.
See this guy pictured here? He was abused and homeless when he came into our lives. This is his story and how he went from almost being killed to finding his forever family.
Rescuing a Dog: My Story
I couldn’t understand why my daughter was so adamant about getting a ride home from her friend’s house instead of me picking her up, especially since I was driving by there anyway while running errands. I was soon to find out.
Shortly after I arrived home, my youngest daughter started calling out, “Mama! Come outside. You’ve got to see this!” Imagine my surprise when I walked outside to find a small, trembling dog lying down next to my oldest daughter.
It was sad enough to see him trembling out of fear so badly, but even worse, when I got closer and saw all the scrapes and scabs all over his body. Apparently, someone had tried to shave him incorrectly. Tears filled my eyes as I looked upon this helpless little guy. I quickly called the vet to get advice on how to treat the wounds.
A New Beginning
We learned that the previous owner was planning to kill him, as she was quite upset because he killed one of her chickens.
An acquaintance of the owner volunteered to take him and find him a new home. She brought him out to California and took him to a mobile home park, which was not too far from where we lived. Each night, he stayed with a different family, but no one wanted to give him a permanent home.
Plans were being made to take him to the pound. Being that our family loves animals and has done rescue work in the past, my daughter volunteered to take him home.
That is how he came into our lives.
We knew we wanted to give him a new name for a new start in life. After much consideration, we named him Dobby after the Harry Potter character who had been badly abused by his owner but was given his freedom when Harry gave him a sock.
One of my biggest concerns was how he would fit in with the other animals. I worried our dog would be jealous or the cats would go after him. Fortunately, none of my fears came into play. It was as if he was always meant to be here.
In fact, one of our cats has become quite infatuated with him!
We took him to the vet and found that overall, he was quite healthy. After a few weeks, the physical signs of abuse were gone, and his fur started coming back in.
At first, he only took to my daughter and me, but over time, he came to accept everyone in the family. He went from a trembling, scared dog to a very happy dog who was always wagging his tail.
How anyone could have hurt this little guy is beyond me. He’s just the sweetest little guy.
A Happy Ending
Dobby’s story has a happy ending. Sadly, not all abused dogs are as lucky as he is. If you’re thinking about getting a dog, consider adopting one from a shelter or rescue group. There are so many loving dogs that just need a second chance in life. Adopting an abused dog can be so rewarding. We’re so glad we decided to keep Dobby. He became such a wonderful addition to our family.
