Looking at Ellie, it’s impossible to believe that anyone could have had the heart to dump her. Scared and alone, she clinged to the only thing she had left in the world…a giant teddy bear.
The one year-old Blue Lacy dog, used to live with a family near Dallas, Texas, but early last month, they surrendered her to the already busy local shelter. Jennifer Jessup, an independent dog rescuer based in New York City, told:
“They had gone to the trouble of getting all her shots, her spay surgery and microchip … [then] they just dumped her at the closest shelter after having her for months. She basically lost everything she’s ever known, and at 1 year old, [she] found herself in a loud, scary place where they euthanize for space.”
Ellie clearly found her experience at the shelter traumatising, refusing to let go of her teddy bear. Fortunately for Ellie, her time at the shelter was soon to be nothing more than a distant memory. As luck would have it, Jessup’s brother, who lives in Florida, had been looking to adopt a Blue Lacy dog, and he’d reached out to his sister to help him find one to rescue.
She started searching online with the help of TAGG Rescue, A Dallas-based rescue group. Soon enough, came across Ellie in the Texas shelter. She said:
“I had a friend in Texas that I contacted, and he said, ‘Sure, I’ll go pick her up. So he got her out of the shelter with her teddy bear, and took her to this boarding facility, where they gave her a bath and made sure all of her paperwork was in order, and that she was fully vetted.”
After a night at the boarding facility, Ellie went to a foster home until she was moved to Florida. Ellie started to feel a little better once she was in a home, but she still clung to her teddy bear. Jessup said:
“The foster carer took a photo of her without her teddy bear, and she was curled up in a little ball, just scared to death. But when he put her back with her teddy bear, she just grabs it.”
On Wednesday, it was time for Ellie to meet her new dad. TWD Transport, a company that moves rescue dogs around the country, drove Ellie from Texas to Florida.
While it will take a while for Ellie to fully come out her shell, Jessup is certain that she has found her forever home saying:
“She is calming down slowly, and he is … giving her lots and lots of affection and quiet time. He’s in love!”
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