Sebastian...

Sebastian is an 8 year old full blooded German Shepherd. He was surrendered to me about 3 months ago.

His story...

Sebastian's owner has had him since he was a puppy. His family consisted of mom, dad and 4 2-legged brothers and sisters. He loved his family and they loved him.

Unfortunately things happened and it changed. When Sebastian was about 5 years old, his mom and dad split up and mom had to move in with her dad. There was no fenced yard for him anymore so he was tied to a tree in the back yard where he waited daily...waited for his food, waited for companionship.

Three and a half years later, he was still waiting. Now don't get me wrong, he wasn't neglected as far as food is concerned, he was fed daily, but he no longer got the attention he craved and needed. A now single mom with four children there just didn't seem to be enough time for him.

So when we received the phone call that he needed to be re-homed we answered. I spoke with the owner and she agreed he needed more than she could give and it was time to let him go.

She took him to our vet and left him there for met o pick up. When I arrived with another volunteer, Kyle Standriff, we were greeted by the sweetest boy.

I was excited because Central Florida German Shepherd rescue had agreed to take him! We had him checked out and everything looked pretty good. He was a little under weight by about 5-10 pounds but health wise he was in decent shape. And then we got the news....Sebastian was heart worm positive. He was a very high positive, the test is about 11 minutes, 3 minutes into it he was showing positive. This changed the whole proverbial ballgame.

So, we are dealing with an 8 year old shepherd, a senior, not neutered, not very good with people, heart worm positive...sigh. Heart worm treatment is very expensive, risky and time consuming, not to mention that it is hard on the animal.

OK, first thing's first...we get all of his vaccines and have blood work done. He needs to be neutered but at his age and the fact he is so high positive for heart worms, the decision was made to wait for his neutering.

Now I need to state something here...I have seen a lot of horrible things, horrible situations. We have helped with a chihuahua, seven months old, thrown from a car; a momma dog and 7 puppies left abandoned in a house, doors locked, no way out, no food, no water; a cat that was used for target practice....you get the picture, but Sebastian stole my heart and had me worried. He was shut down, shut down completely. What do I mean by that? Well by being left tied to that tree with little human interaction he had no spirit left, no desire, nothing. His eyes looked empty and that's what worried me. I was afraid we couldn't turn him around.

I made a decision to put him into boarding. The facility I use has open daycare and it was my hope that he could learn to trust and interact with humans as well as other dogs. Thus began the next 3 months of Sebastian's new life.

At first he wasn't interested in much but with kindness, care and love, the staff at Four Paws Resort began to make some headway. Sebastian began to respond! He learned that being petted, brushed and loved on were good things! And he blossomed! He learned to play! And he DEFINITELY learned what treats were and LOVED them!

Fast forward to now...

We began the first phase of his heart worm treatment last month, 28 days of 600 milligrams of doxycycline a day. He has just finished that and will now start phase two. He will eventually have 2-3 injections after which he will have to stay in a crate for the most part of the day so that he remains quiet and doesn't get too excited.

In the meantime, he has a caregiver waiting for him in Peach County, about 3 hours from here. Jan Culpepper is keeping Sebastian with the hopes of making her home his forever home if all works out. If it is not the right fit for him, Central Florida German Shepherd Rescue is still going to take him as soon as he is finished with his treatments. So either way, Sebastian is set!

AND Sunday, the 6th of April, was the day! We picked up Sebastian to take him to his transport. Donna Burns with Roll N Paws was waiting to take him to his new home and although I was sad, I was also very happy!! After a brief introduction, Donna and Sebastian headed out!

A few hours later he arrived to meet his (hopefully forever) mom, Jann. The meeting went wonderfully and I am ecstatic to report that 3 days later everything is still great! It looks like he has found his home!

Sebastian has come a long way in a short time. He now knows he is loved and important. He will be beginning the next step in his new life and we are all so excited for him!

We love you Sebastian!!!