Dogs Deserve Better: Sara's Turn

Sara is a wonderfully good-natured dog who is social, playful, and very affectionate. At just four years old, she is coming into that perfect age where she’s active and would make a great hiking partner, but is just as happy to relax and snuggle up with you on the couch. She’s currently being fostered with a cat and several dogs, big and small, and she does well with all of them. Sara likes to play chase and tug with the younger dogs, but she’s respectful of the smaller dogs and seniors that come through her foster home who aren’t ready for that kind of excitement.

Sara’s story is a perfect example of how so many good but frightened dogs are unfairly labeled by an overloaded shelter system. She was turned in to a high-kill shelter in rural South Carolina with her eight newborn puppies. Shelters are a stressful environment for most dogs, but you can imagine the fear and concern for her pups that this new mom must have felt after being abandoned in an unfamiliar place when she needed security the most. Because she was naturally protective of her new babies around other dogs, an instinctive behavior for any new mom, the overworked staff at the shelter labeled her “unsocial,” which may as well have been a death sentence.

Our Dogs Deserve Better team knew that she was a great dog who wouldn’t make it out of the shelter alive, and rescued this sweet girl to give her a second chance. After a quiet first few days in her foster home as she assessed her new environment, it only took Sara a short time to come out of her shell and show her remarkable disposition. She’s a very social dog who adjusts well to new people and situations, and thrives on love and attention and being connected to her person. Sara will make some lucky family a wonderful companion.

I took Miss Sara on a hike through Rock Creek Park with my pack recently and she had a blast. She was respectful and fit right in with both of my dogs, greeted dogs and hikers on the trail with ease, and had no reaction to the pair of horses who trotted by. I can’t say the same for my dogs... She has a minor interest in squirrels at times, but she is easily redirected. Sara was great in the car, calmly sitting on the seat and watching the city go by, and was just a pleasure to spend time with.

Sara is crate-trained, house-trained, and has learned to sit and wait patiently for her leash at walk time. She loves to go on walks and gets excited to sniff the world around her, so she could probably use a little practice on her leash walking skills, but she’s the kind of dog you can take with you anywhere, and is always up for a new adventure. She would do well in most families, and be a great playmate for another dog or kids’ companion. Most of all, she needs a stable home and an attentive family with the time to give the love and attention that this affectionate pup deserves.

She’s just like the majority of dogs who don’t do well in a shelter, but prosper once they’re in a stable, loving home – if they’re given the chance. She could have easily been a casualty of the system who mislabeled her, but luckily she found her way to rescue and has flourished in foster care. We wish we had more people willing to open their home to great dogs like Sara who just need a calm, safe environment and some TLC until they find their new family.

To learn more about Sara, go to our website and fill out an adoption application, or you can contact us at info@ddbnova.org.

If you’re interested in becoming a foster home for sweet pups like Sara, please fill out a Foster Application.

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