ohmidog!

Hope, as the dog to the left was later named,was tossed into a quarry in North Carolina and left to die.

She didn’t cooperate.

Though neglected and abused, and only about 8 month’s old, she put up a fight.

“Her spirit and determination allowed her to fight for an indeterminate amount of time, acquiring significant injuries to her feet and legs as she tried desperately to free herself,” said Amy Murphy, a volunteer at North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue,

“Somehow, she found a small ledge, where she huddled for another indeterminate amount until fire and rescue rock climbed and rafted her out. By this point, she was totally catatonic and responsive due to her fear.”

Hope was taken in as a foster by Murphy, who brought her home to join her pack  of rescued animals. Those include a rescued fighting dog who was used as bait and subsequently lost a rear leg, another dog that was abandoned twice before the age of 3 months who is now a therapy dog, and three elderly cats who were abandoned at various stages in their life.

One of the cats keeps all arriving foster dogs company by spending the night sleeping in front of their crates, and the two cats perform grooming rituals on the foster animals, washing faces, ears and paws, Murphy reports.

“Within hours, this group had enticed Hope to let her guard down and engage in a bit of play with them. In a few days, she began to initiate interaction with me. In a week, she was allowing select strangers to approach her. In just a matter of a month or two, Hope transformed into a happy, playful, engaging dog who has adopted the philosophy of ‘I’ve never met a stranger.’ People are shocked to hear of her past when they meet her….they see her as a typical puppy.”

You can read Hope’s entire journal here.

Despite the fact that Hope loves people, has good manners and was featured in the local newspaper, there has been little interest from potential adopters, Murphy says. She blames the economy. “Not only are people not adopting, many are actually dropping their family pets off at the pound to cut costs.”

“This is not a good time to be a dog without a home. But Hope is a fighter, and a survivor, and we continue to fight for her,” she said.

If you want to give Hope a home, contact North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue by email at nmeckanimalrescue@yahoo.com.

(Photo by Doc Brunk, courtesy of North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue)