Gizzie

(c) 1996-2008, PetRescue.Com

      Gizzie was rescued in 1991. We were on our way to see a veterinary specialist with one of our dogs when we passed her on an extremely busy road. We immediately pulled over and called her to us. We estimated that she was about one year old. Her body was covered in sores and she was a moving mass of fleas. She was hungry, frightened and horribly underweight. She was also wearing a chain collar with a piece of frayed rope attached to it which she had obviously outgrown. It was so tight, it had become embedded into her neck. Just when you think you cannot possibly see anything worse than you’ve already seen in rescue, along comes a Gizzie to prove you wrong!
      Judging by her demeanor, we guessed that she had been abused. She was very timid and she would cower if you raised your voice, picked up a broom or moved too fast. She had obviously learned the art of ducking blows! We can vividly remember the very first time we gave her a squeaky dog toy to play with. She sniffed at it with interest and then she curiously poked at it with her nose. Suddenly it squeaked and scared the living daylights out of her! She jumped up in absolute fear and ran to hide behind a chair. It was so very sad to see this sweet little girl react in sheer terror to something that should have given her pleasure.
      It took us several months to get her healthy, both physically and mentally. At that point, we put her up for adoption. Lots of people came to see her but the general consensus was that she just wasn’t cute enough. We couldn’t quite believe it - we certainly thought she was cute enough! However, as more and more time passed by, we still weren’t able to find anyone interested in adopting her. Sadly, she was always passed over. We also realized that she was becoming increasingly attached to us. This can be a problem with traumatized dogs. You work hard to get them to let down their guard and allow themselves to trust again. However, in certain situations you become too successful. Some of the more badly abused dogs bond so much with their caregivers that you reach a point where it is truly not in their best interest to uproot them from the only secure environment they have ever known. We felt that this was the case with Gizzie. It was therefore decided that she should remain here with us where she felt safe and where she felt peace for the very first time in her life.
      Gizzie is a true delight. She currently maintains a hectic lifestyle! As head of our official welcoming committee, she greets everybody who visits with tremendous enthusiasm, regardless of whether they have two legs or four! She welcomes any and all new animals and makes them immediately feel at ease. She lets them know how great it is to be in a place where they will get so much love and where they will always be safe. In her spare time, Gizzie also volunteers at local nursing homes, where she is a great hit. She is our "PetRescue.Com Poster Puppy". She truly exemplifies everything that is wonderful in a pet and shows us why they are so deserving of the very best from their human companions!

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