A dog who was abandoned outside a shelter refused to leave the gate as she waited for her owner to come back. When shelter volunteers finally managed to get her inside, there was one peculiar object she refused to let go of.
Staff and volunteers at the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League (BARL) were dismayed when they found a “scared dog” waiting by the gates on February 12. The canine had been dumped outside the shelter in Brookhaven, Mississippi, and was clearly too scared to get close to anyone. Instead, she kept running to the road and waiting, as if “wondering where her human” had gone.
The team took turns trying to win her over and gain her trust, including Jollean Smith who works on the BARL marketing and social media support. Smith told Newsweek that the dog, who has been named Faithful, “looked healthy and well-fed,” which made her apparent abandonment even more heartbreaking.
“She did not leave the front gate area,” Smith said. “She would hide under the building, hear voices, and run to the road repeatedly. A wandering dog might keep wandering, but she stayed at the gates.”
It took the team a day to finally win the trust of Faithful and get her safely inside on February 13. But there was one unexpected item that piqued their attention: a CAT work glove that was lying on the ground nearby. It seemed important to Faithful, and she was “very attached” to the accessory.
Smith continued: “As I sat in the leaves talking to her, I watched her walk over, pick something up, and lay it back down. When I went over to look at it, she became very attentive, somewhat protective. What I found was a CAT work glove.
“I decided to take the glove and place it into the humane trap the team had set up to try to catch her. She walked around the humane trap, smelling the glove, and wanted to get it, but she was too smart. I felt bad taking her little bit of comfort away, but I just wanted to get her secured.”
Once the team managed to get Faithful inside the shelter, she was reunited with the glove. While the team can’t be sure if the glove belonged to her previous owner, Smith said that it was “a very strange place” for the glove to be and Faithful didn’t want to leave it.
Faithful is now in the BARL shelter awaiting adoption. She is adapting well to the new environment and is incredibly friendly with visitors. There has been some interest in her so far, but nothing has come to fruition yet, and the team will continue searching for a loving, committed home for Faithful’s next chapter.
Faithful’s heartbreaking experience was shared on the shelter’s Facebook page on February 13, as the caption added that everyone at BARL hopes her “story changes from here.” In just a matter of days, the tear-jerking post has generated over 580 reactions and been shared more than 135 times already.
It is hoped that the social media attention will help Faithful get noticed by someone willing to take care of her. According to Smith, the perfect owner would be someone patient who also has a playful side.
“She is good with other dogs, but we have no history, so we can’t say if she is good with cats, farm animals, or kids,” Smith said. “Her personality is friendly, and, with a patient family and good training, we are sure she will make a great furry family member.
“Faithful will get age-appropriate vaccinations, deworming and checked for heartworm while under our care. She has been microchipped and, if required, she will be spayed prior to adoption.”
Stories like Faithful’s have become all too prevalent, as PETA highlights that shelters across the U.S. take in more than 6 million lost, abandoned, or unwanted pets every year. The BARL shelter is full already and has a waiting list of up to 100 dogs at present.
It may not always be feasible to continue caring for an animal, but Smith implored people not to abandon a pet. There is no telling the emotional damage that can cause, and shelters don’t always have the necessary resources to care for them as so many are at capacity.
“The abandoning of animals is a very big problem. As domestic animals, they are reliant on humans and cannot fend for themselves. They can starve, or some will sit in the same spot where they are abandoned for a long time, waiting for their human to come back. Some may think abandoning an animal at the shelter is better, but it is still impactful,” Smith said.
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