The dog came running out of the woods in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, straight toward a road worker along the highway. Emaciated, with bones showing through her skin, it was evident that the dog was on her last legs. The worker couldn't turn her away, and so he contacted the Canine Compassion Fund, hoping that someone there could help this starving dog.
As soon as they heard about the dog, the staff at the Canine Compassion Fund swung into action. A volunteer raced out to the location on the highway where the dog was found and was shocked at the dog's condition. The dog was clearly starved and was nothing but skin and bones.
Mollie Shealy, who fosters the dog the rescue named Gracie, described the sight when the rescue's volunteer came on the scene. “She could barely stand," said Shealy. "Her back hind legs were almost in a squatting position. Every time we touched her, we felt a bone because of how skinny she was. But she just cowered around with her head down.”
There is no way to know what led to Gracie being alone and starving in the woods. Shealy believes that “More than likely, Gracie was bred to be a hunting dog, but she didn’t do the caliber of hunting that they wanted. So they either cut her off the leash or left her in the middle of the woods, and probably planned for her not to survive.”
From the side of the road, the Canine Compassion Fund volunteer took Gracie immediately to the veterinarian clinic. The dog weighed only twenty pounds and needed heart worm treatment, but that couldn't happen until Gracie, now renamed Goldie, became healthier and put on weight. The Canine Compassion Fund described Goldie as "around 6 years old and in addition to her obvious physical condition, she also suffers from the insidious (yet so easily preventable) heartworm disease. Once Goldie has gained a considerable amount of weight and strength, she will be treated for heartworms."
That's where Shealy came in to offer Goldie a foster home in which to regain her health and her trust in human beings. The transition was very difficult for Goldie at first as she was afraid of everyone and everything she encountered. “The first week was kind of rough,” Shealy said. “She was depressed and kind of wandered around, and didn’t really know what the deal was.”
First came putting on the weight which was accomplished one small step at a time. “We were feeding her anywhere from five to six meals a day,” Shealy said. “Just very small portions. She was so hungry that she devoured it.” After Goldie began to gain weight, she also started to settle in and trust Shealy and Shealy's mother.
Gradually, Goldie learned that life could be good and full of fun. She had to learn how to play with dog toys, and once she did, Goldie's personality shone through! “She’s a goofy dog who loves to play,” Shealy said. “We have all her toys in a box, and she’ll get them out and line them up and give each toy like two or three bites. She’ll run them up to you, and she’ll play tug-of-war.”
Now that Goldie is at a better weight, she will begin heartworm treatment soon. After she is fully healthy, Goldie will be adopted out to a family worthy of helping Goldie continue to enjoy life.
Shealy said, “She’s just so thankful to be with people and to be loved and to have the fun that she has. I think because all that she’s been through, and all the loyalty and thankfulness that she had. You let her out of her kennel in the morning [and] she runs out, she hops up on the couch. She licks your face, and she’ll nuzzle her head into your neck.”
“She knows the value of the relationship that she has with me and my mom,” Shealy explained. “And it’s been really great being able to rehabilitate her to a state where she can be adopted.”
Could you be the right family for Goldie? Contact the Canine Compassion Fund for information on adopting her. Please share Goldie's incredible story with your family and friends on Facebook.