You might all remember Gladys, a 10 yr. old pit bull that was rescued by Chain of Hope after living her entire life on a chain. Here is her previous story and we have a wonderful update for all of you!
Here’s a few pix of how Gladys lived, but definitely check out her previous story!
Here’s pix of Gladys when she lived at Chain of Hope.
Christen and her husband, Chris, had filled out an application for one of our dogs. It was a great app. They had an 8 yr. old male Boxer named Blitzen and they had recently had to put down their beloved 11 yr. old Boxer named Ginger. They felt a huge void with her gone and Blitzen was very depressed. They decided they needed to get another dog, especially for Blitzen, who was sad without his best friend.
Jackie arranged a meet and greet for Christen and Chris to come down and meet several of our dogs. When Leah was giving them a tour of our facility, she showed them our “Geriatric Room”. This is where our older dogs and any dogs with special needs stay. It’s a wonderful room with lots of dog beds, a door to their own play yard and big windows, letting in lots of light. It’s a cheerful, peaceful room for our older kids.
After touring the facility and seeing some of the dogs, Christen asked Leah if they could meet our older dogs. Leah was happy to show them our senior dogs! Gladys got their attention right away and they asked what her story was. Leah filled them in and they asked if Blitzen and Gladys could meet. We said sure!
Gladys and Blitzen got along great! They checked each other out for awhile and walked around the yard. When Gladys finally just sat down, Blitzen went over and sat right beside her. Chris and Christen loved her, too! They spent a lot of time with her, I told them all of her quirks, and they wanted to proceed with adoption! We made arrangements for me to take Gladys over to their house a few days later.
I couldn’t even believe I was taking Gladys for a home visit! We had kind of thought that Gladys would just live at Chain of Hope the rest of her life. She was an odd dog, and how couldn’t she be after living 10 yrs. chained to a tree? We often said that Gladys had a “hollow” look in her eyes and she often seemed sad. She was scarred emotionally for sure. It still makes me angry to think about her previous owner and how they treated her. I thank God to this day that we were able to get her out of there. Don’t get me wrong-Gladys did wag her tail a lot and she did give us that beautiful pit bull smile sometimes, but she just seemed almost empty at other times. Our hearts hurt for her, but we all loved her and gave her a lot of TLC. I always called her my “Gladdie”. She is the sweetest dog, has the softest coat and the best ears ever! We loved her just the way she was!
I took Gladys over to Chris and Christen’s house and we all took Blitzen and her for a walk around the block. Then we took them into their back yard and just hung out with them while Gladys got used to things. She was calm, she was not trembling-she was doing very well. We all decided that I would leave Gladys for the night and we’d see how she did. It was very hard to leave Gladys-she had been my baby since her rescue. I knew she depended on me as well, but Chris and Christen were the kindest people. They understood what Gladys had been through and they were committed to giving her a happy rest of her life.
The pictures that we received from Christen the first few weeks were very sweet, but you could still see that kind of empty look in Gladys’s eyes.
Christen even emailed me with the following pix early in the adoption and said, “I’m going to make her love me!” I knew Gladys was right where she was supposed to be!
I can’t bring myself to think about it for too long, but sometimes I let myself go there. I think about how long that really is to be chained to a tree for even one week, or worse one year, let alone 10 horrible yrs. The long, long, hot, boring summer days, fighting flies and fleas and not having enough water. They live like that day after day. And in the winter-all of those long, long, freezing cold, dark, lonely days and nights. Always wishing someone would come out to them, if even for a few minutes. Watching people going in and out of the house and just sitting there on your chain, yearning to be inside with them getting pats on the head and snacks from the table. The brokenness, the loneliness, the despair, the giving up hope-it’s all there, chained to that tree. That was Gladys’s life until Chain of Hope came along.
Now Gladys was in a loving, quiet home with another older dog and people that loved her and cherished her. Every dog deserves to feel like that.
It took a while for Gladys to relax, but she started feeling more and more at home. Chris was very excited one morning when Gladys tugged on the blanket on the bed to get his attention!
Gladys settled in. She was nervous and kind of shut down at first, but Chris and Christen understood that it would be like that for awhile. Slowly, slowly she started coming around. She and Blitzen became best buddies. They went out to the yard together and slept practically on top of each other!
Gladys even went on her first ever vacation! Yes, Chris and Christen took Gladys and Blitzen to the Ozarks this summer. Can you imagine the wonder of it all? To have these experiences after having no life at all. What a wonderful gift Christen, Chris and Blitzen have given to Gladys. I know these people, though, and I know that they consider themselves the lucky ones to have Gladys in their lives.
We physically rescued Gladys, but Chris and Christen-you rescued her soul and for that we are eternally grateful! You brought her back to life, gave her a spark, and have showed her nothing but good things and love. Thank you for giving Gladys the best things in life. We want this for every chained dog!
Look at the smile that you have put on Gladys’s face!!! She now has joy in her life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
