In Sept of 2011 my Tank died at 13 yrs old. I'd had him since he was 8 wks old and I was devastated. It was over a year before I decided to go to the shelter to "look" at the dogs. I always cry when I go so this was hard to for me to do. In one of the cages was Layla. Her back was turned, head down and she was shaking. She wouldn't look up or take treats from the shelter workers. I asked to bring her outside. Layla totally ignored me and ran all around the fence sniffing. Finally I said "Maybe she wants to go for a ride." She ran up to me and sat on my foot. That cinched the deal.
I was back early the next day to get her, wondering all the while what I was doing. The sign on her kennel read "not good with dogs, cats or kids." I had feral cats at my house that I fed, 2 young grandkids and I fostered dogs. Still, I couldn't leave her. Her owners dropped her off and she was so scared. I got Layla home and the kitties were waiting to be fed. They came in like they always did as soon as I opened the patio door. I waited, watching to see what Layla would do, ready to move fast. To my surprise, the kitties went right up to Layla and they sniffed each other. The kitties had never stayed around if there were dogs at the house and here they were sniffing Layla.
It was obvious Layla had not been treated well. She was beyond timid and didn't know how to play with toys. It has been about a year and a half now and Layla is still coming out of her shell. She is absolutely WONDERFUL with my grandkids and my foster dogs. She loves the fosters and plays like a puppy. I learned the evaluation at the shelter does not give a true idea to a dogs real personality. I love my Layla.
San Marcos, CA
