Pet Stories: Brandy

I'm a volunteer at the local humane society. One day I went in for my shift and met up with a dog I'll call Brandy, an older chocolate lab with a thyroid problem.

She was obviously depressed. Lying in her kennel with her head between her paws, nothing seemed to interest her. I went in to pet her; she lay quietly and was friendly, but it just didn't seem to cheer her up.

Brandy was there for weeks. I, along with other volunteers and staff, worried. Older dog, needed a special diet (she was more than a little plump), needed medication, depressed and lying in the back of the kennel. Would anyone notice her? Would anyone want this beautiful girl?

We visited Brandy often, bringing her little treats and words of encouragement. Day after day we would round the corner hoping that she would be adopted - and day after day, she'd still be lying there at the back of her kennel, head between her paws.

And then it happened: one of the staff told me that a nice older couple came in ... they read the signs we'd put up around her kennel, took the time to visit with Brandy - and fell in love with her. They were told about her health problems and were willing to do all the work necessary for her condition.

Soon afterwards her adoption contract was complete and Brandy had a new home.

When Brandy was taken out of her kennel to go home with her new family, she seemed to know: her walk perked right up. I was told that she jumped right up into the back of her new family's van - her tail wagging so hard it hit the sides of the car. I still think about her to this day, and hope that she and her new family are living their happily ever after.

Kindly contributed by:
- Sarah W.