At times, the way our fellow human beings treat animals is appalling. Thankfully, there are even more good people doing their best to help animals in the world than there are abusers!
Ascencia Barajas of Austin, Texas was thinking of purchasing a German shepherd as a companion for her 3-year-old daughter, Ryanne, but after doing an online pet personality matching test with Austin Pets Alive!, she changed her mind. She and Ryanne went to the shelter, where they instantly fell in love with a young pup named Kayak.
Kayak had recently recovered from canine parvovirus, or parvo, a virus that’s highly contagious and often fatal for shelter dogs. Ascencia was struck by how calm the 2-month-old puppy was compared to the barking dogs around him in the shelter.
“Kayak was just calm, cool and collected,” she told TODAY. “He was sitting there with his big ol’ ears that went to the side. They were just adorable. And when my daughter got close, he didn’t bark at her like the other puppies did. None of the other dogs vibed with Ryanne like Kayak did.”
When Ascencia inquired about the shy pup, shelter workers told her how he was found, and she was sickened. Weeks earlier, two Good Samaritans had spotted the puppy, deathly ill, inside a box floating down a river. They rescued him and brought him to a shelter, but the shelter said he was too sick to treat.
These kind strangers refused to give up on him! They took him out of the original shelter and drove for two hours to Austin Pets Alive!, which is a no-kill shelter. They took him in and named him Kayak, then gave him the lifesaving treatment he needed to recover.
“When Kayak came in, he weighed 16 pounds,” said Suzie Chase, community relations officer at Austin Pets Alive! “He was in really, really bad shape. Our medical manager said that he was crashing when he arrived and they had to give him fluids. The next day they weighed him, and he was 18.4 pounds.”
Ascencia said she “wanted to cry” when she heard his story, and it explains a lot about his calm personality now.
“He settled in right away,” she said. “It was like, ‘I have a roof over my head. I have people who love me.’ That’s the type of dog that he is.”
Now Kayak spends his days getting kissed and cuddled by his family, playing fetch, and sleeping in Ryanne’s princess loft with his human sister. The only thing he doesn’t enjoy is baths, most likely because of that early exposure to the river.
“He’s been through a lot,” Ascencia explained. “It didn’t shock me that he didn’t like water when I gave him a bath.”
The adoptive dog mom hopes Kayak’s story will encourage others to look to their local shelters when they want a dog. She also wants to thank the strangers who took so much time and trouble to make sure Kayak got the care he needed, and a second shot at a wonderful life.
“This couple, whoever it was, drove the two hours to take him to Austin Pets Alive!, I wish I could thank them,” she said.” There is a dog there for each family – I promise you. It seems like Kayak is very grateful to be in a home – not in the water, not in a box, and not in a shelter. You can just tell that he is so grateful to be with us.”
Isn’t it beautiful to see Kayak looking so happy with his new family? We agree with Ascencia: Pet adoption is the way to go!
Don’t forget to share Kayak’s story with a friend.
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