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| Name: |
Sophie
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Age: |
Eight years old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
French Bulldog |
| Home: |
Sugar Loaf, New York, USA |
The
life of a dog can be part of a loving, caring environment, or that
of abuse, and neglect. Sophie is a French bulldog that has gone through
the hands of the wrong people but is now in her forever home.
"Family X" bought Sophie as a puppy for the purpose of showing. To the
annoyance of the X's, she would be the perpetually cheerful creature
that would break the silence of their busy lives. Sophie gave enjoyment
to Mrs. X by winning her a series of awards that included two
consecutive American Kennel Club Grand Champion Awards. Mrs. X looked at
this as a reflection of her ability to care for her dog. This dog was
the one piece of her life that she had control of. She even subjected
the dog to cosmetic surgery to further enhance her appearance. As the
dog aged and was no longer show quality, she looked to dispose of her.
She contemplated putting a "needle in her paw" as a solution. Seven
years of companionship didn't matter anymore. Mrs. X decided to move on
to bigger and better things, in her life and career. There was no more
time for Sophie. Mrs. X thought she was doing the right thing when she
paid her housekeeper, Ms. Y., to care for Sophie.
A once pampered and adored dog was now living in her own waste in a
cold, damp and filthy garage. The proper care of Sophie was compromised
because of money. Two hundred dollars a week was more important to Ms.
Y., the housekeeper, than doing what was in the dog's best interest.
I had been looking for a pet for some time before I came in contact with
Ms. Y. I almost immediately decided that Sophie was the right dog for
me. I also thought that she shouldn't be neglected as I could see she
was, in her present condition. After months of waiting, probably caused
by Ms. Y.'s desire to milk her two hundred dollars weekly from the
unsuspecting X's, Ms. Y. delayed Sophie's "disposal" as long as she
could with a series of different excuses until Mrs. X decided to stop
paying weekly for her care.
Sophie came to my home with toys, clothes, several leashes, collars and
a folder jam-packed with documents that a former Grand Champion
accumulates. Life with Sophie was horrific. She barked and snapped at
everyone, demonstrated being short of housebroken and was far from the
happy, affectionate dog as she was described. After a nightmarish week
of Sophie's antics I began to look for a new home for her by contacting
several rescue societies that I found on the Internet. I was certain
that I could not provide the level of care that she required. I looked
for advice and found the solution to Sophie's happiness was simpler than
I anticipated. The advice I received was to not give up on her, she's
adjusting to a series of bad experiences and when she starts to trust
you and feel like part of your household you will have a loyal, joyful
pet.
Just after one month with me, Sophie was back at a healthy weight; she
was clean and a pleasure to be around. Being tossed away and stored in a
garage had a definite impact on her, and care and love again brought her
back to her cheerful lovable self. Sophie sat on this log every day last
fall, watching for school buses, waiting for my son Daryl to come home
from school. But Daryl left for college months before. Sophie still
watched the school buses in December, hoping he'd be on one of them.
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