tara

Foster or forever home wanted, meet Tara! Tara is the type of dog not likely to make it out of the shelter alive. She arrived as a confiscation over two months ago, on 6/22. Since the day she entered the shelter system she has struggled with the environment. She has been described by the shelter staff as a very frightened and shut down dog. She was observed by staff:

• Hiding in the back of the kennel

*Keeping her tail tucked and ears back

• Avoiding eye contact

• Shaking and appearing fearful

• Refusing to come forward despite being coaxed

But due to the patience of volunteers and staff working with her and not giving up, Tara made some improvements. Back a couple of weeks ago, Tara was leashed and taken into the play yard. Although she mainly remained independent and kept to herself, she explored the yard and allowed the handler to interact with her. She didn't seek attention but tolerated the interactions. These baby steps tell us there is a scared dog underneath all of this- a dog who with time and patience can heal from whatever ordeal she's been through.

We've seen this before and have witnessed dogs like Tara doing a 180 once they are out of the stressful shelter environment. When she came out on the euthanasia list, we couldn't stand by and let this be how her story ended. We were able to pull her to safety, in boarding for now while we wait for a foster or forever home to come up.

Tara is located in Southern California.