street life to sanctuary life

One year ago, we welcomed Harvey. His arrival marked the end of his street-running, garbage-scavenging career, and the start of a journey that would take him further than he'd ever been, without ever leaving our driveway.

Despite having no luggage whatsoever, Harvey brought his share of very heavy "baggage". Stubborn habits and inappropriate coping skills -- hard-earned from years of life on the run. He rebelled against fences, walls, and schedules. He shrugged off rules and held disdain for the dogs that obeyed them. It took him a solid month before he stopped fighting the leash.

He could take-or-leave people, for good reason because he was once a semi-successful, independent Street Dog.

Then.

There were tiny breakthroughs: he learned that the sound of his name meant meals and treats, and that at the end of that really, really long leash, was a friendly, patient human connection. He stopped trying to pull down/scale/go under our fences.

His pacing turned to sitting — and then to slumbering and to dreaming:

“maybe this big fence is to keep me home so I can finally take deep, long snoreful slumbers...”
You know, the kind of slumbers that only safe dogs take.

Three months later, he’d grown from tolerating us to seeking us out. The sound of his name meant Sanctuary-things: a soft towel after a stroll in the rain, belly rubs and bully sticks, and every single weekend: playing games with his nose.

The rattle of keys and an open door no longer meant freedom to this former Street Dog. No, to this Sanctuary Dog, they meant it was time to explore with his very best friend in the bright red truck.

Finally, no more running the streets alone.

#SanctuaryLife is a daily celebration of tiny breakthroughs, and it looks different for each of lives under our care. For Harvey, it means understanding the value of companionship and play, it means appreciating the safety of nourishment and care, and -- most of all – it means receiving the promise of forever that every dog deserves.

We don’t know how long Harvey will call our Sanctuary home, but whenever he moves on from this home to the next, we promise that he’ll continue to live a #SanctuaryLife.
A Senior Sanctuary Day costs $78 for each dog, every day*. Your support means we can continue to provide a #SanctuaryLife to even more deserving senior dogs.

More about Harvey: https://www.petfinder.com/.../senior-dog-sanctuary-of.../
(*average expenses, 2021)



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