From Hopeless to Home

Nick

Scooter

Sometimes, humanity fails, and we struggle to understand how anyone could neglect dogs. Scooter and Nick came to us, barely hanging onto life, and we were shaken by how horrific people can be to animals. It’s why we do this. Every single day, when we rescue a senior dog, we are reminded of Val, our founder’s mission: rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome.

Scooter was found this summer chained to a fence in the heat, emaciated and sick. He had limited movement of his hips and legs, suggesting he had been neglected most of his life. This 10-year-old pup was knocking on death’s door before BARCS was able to intervene. The anger we felt for this pup’s neglect was overtaken by the urgent need to rehabilitate him. We worked fast to get him to the Senior Dog Sanctuary, and its haven of love.

Surrounded by our loving staff, incredible volunteers, and the generous donations of our supporters, Scooter slowly began eating a strict diet of specialty food with no treats to ensure his digestive system could function properly. Slow walks around our play yard with the volunteers showcased a tired but happy pup. The shine in his eyes was becoming brighter. Before long, he had gained some much-needed weight, and his diet became less strict. Treats were given, longer walks prevailed, and his love of toys evolved.

We tried to find him a foster to see how he would adapt to home life, but instead, we received something even better: a forever home. His family met him, and it was instant love at first sight. It’s the kind of love that this senior yearned for, and we were elated he found his people. Gone was the emaciated, hopeless pup we rescued, and it was replaced with a healthy, toy-loving senior who now has four names. Meet Draco Marshawn Cooper-Jefferson!

We’ve mentioned Nick's story before, but his and Scooter’s stories were so similar and within the same time frame that it felt almost meant to be that we were able to save them. Nick was rescued from a home by animal control after the neighbor reported him being chained in the yard without food or water and covered in fleas and sores. Again, the rage we felt on behalf of this innocent animal had to be tampered down because we had to put our energy into saving Nick.

It wasn’t easy. Nick was almost in worse shape than Scooter, and the terror of losing him was sharp and at the forefront of our minds. We couldn’t let that happen. We had to figure out how to slowly help Nick see that his future was bright and filled with love. Slow, designated feedings began for him to gain weight. Within a week, he had jumped up five pounds, and his ribs still protruded horribly. We calmly kept forging ahead, knowing it would take time to get him to where he needed to be. Shutting down our worries was hard, but we had to stay positive.

Nick’s love of the toy bin showed that he longed to lie among soft toys and feel a comfort he had never known. It broke our hearts but gave us incredible strength to know we had given him this relief and support. With the help of staff member Jeff, we placed a larger bin in our sanctuary for him, filled to the brim with plush toys. Nick curled up into it each day and slept soundly in Val’s sanctuary.

It’s remarkable to report that Nick went home to a foster to adopt. The only reason for that was the family’s cats, who we weren’t sure how they would interact with each other. However, the cats are doing amazingly well with Nick, and his family loves him very much. We are sure he has found his forever and are overjoyed for him!

It takes enormous love, time, effort, donations, and resilience to make our sanctuary a place where every senior dog has a second chance. Sometimes, we worry there won’t be enough to keep things going, but our supporters always come together to ensure our dogs know this life can be filled with the unconditional love our dogs so easily share. They teach us to love like them, and we’re grateful to learn. Your support saved Scooter and Nick, along with so many others. Thank you on behalf of all of them.