“I am very friendly and kind …”
In Bridgend in South Wales, a small, frightened dog hid in some undergrowth. He’d been running through the streets since losing his family. Luckily, flashes of brown and white fur caught the eye of three cyclists, who took a detour to save the pup and bring him to Hope Rescue.
Rescuers discovered that the dog was wearing a collar, and taped to it was a handwritten note sealed in a plastic bag.
Sadly, cases of deliberate abandonment are becoming more common for Hope Rescue. Although, they’ve only seen a few involving a note.
“Chase arrived during the busiest month in our 19-year history, with 157 dogs coming through our doors in August alone,” Sara Rosser, head of operations for Hope Rescue, told The Dodo. “So his arrival definitely hit us hard as it was heartbreaking to see him so scared. While we understand there may be times when owners are desperate, abandoning Chase in that way left him at risk and we were just so grateful he was found when he was.”
Once removed from its plastic covering, the note read: “My name is Chase. I am 1 year old November 10. I am very friendly and kind, good with kids. I need a new home as my owner cannot take care of me. Please help me. Thank you.”
Despite being given a “safe place” where he could decompress at the shelter, Chase was terrified and shut down. He refused to interact with staff, barely ate and wouldn’t move from his spot.
“The staff worked hard to earn his trust and found him a couple of gentle dog friends which seemed to really help him,” Rosser said. “We had an excellent foster home willing to take him on so we supported moving him here where he has really started to show his personality! The foster home also has two confident dogs, who he is learning from, and he is enjoying paddling in the water, and cuddling up to them at night.”
Chase is gaining more confidence each day, and settling into a new routine with his foster family. And the more he opens up, the more his family feels like he may already be home for good.
“Chase’s future is looking bright,” Rosser said. “We are thrilled for him that after the trauma of being abandoned, he has found a [family] who understand him and can help him blossom into the happy dog he deserves to be.”
