Today I got a call from local law enforcement. They asked VRC to step in and help confiscate 2 dogs from an abandoned trailer park. I took a deep breath and said yes, I can help, knowing I didn’t have any room at the rescue. When I arrived at the residence before even getting out of my car, I could tell these dogs were in bad shape. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; I knew that whatever was coming next was going to chip away another piece of my soul but that my heart would feel whole once these two were safe and healthy.
Walking up to them, they were aggressive and in full rage (it was clear to me this was fear-based), but the officer who accompanied me kept his distance. The biggest of the two was a hound mix (Mickey). He was in a small, homemade 4x4 pen, covered in feces. There was a small, rusted metal bucket in the pen full of rainwater, but it had an oily film over it.
The other dog was a smaller border collie mix (Brody) and he was chained to the outside of the pen with only about 2-3 feet of movement. As I walked up to him loop and raw hotdogs in hand, I called to him. "Hey, pup. Hey, buddy you’re ok, it's ok." Once he smelled the hot dogs, his growling decreased some and he seemed more friendly. I reached out my hand with a treat, and just then the officer said: "Careful I heard that one is the meanest of the two and he will take your hand off." I nodded my head but did not take my eye off the dog. I knew I was within the bite zone, but I could tell he wasn’t going to bite me.
I gave him a treat and he took it fast and caught my hand, but I knew that wasn’t an attack, just a hungry dog grabbing a fast snack! After a few minutes and two whole hotdogs, I looped the rope around his neck and unclipped his chain. Brody was free!
He jumped and bounded all over me with excitement. In a matter of minutes, this dog did a 180 and was my best friend. I tossed some hot dogs into a crate, and he followed it right in. I took another deep breath and whispered one down and one to go. I knew Mickey wouldn’t be so easy, I tossed a few chucks of hotdog into the pen to show him, that we could be friends, but he wasn’t convinced. I hung the loop over the fence and tossed in more treats. As he went for the food, I slipped the rope over him, as it tightened, he jumped back and let out a cry that chipped away another peace of my soul, and a tear ran down my face.
I had him in a loop, but this was far from over. Just like I knew the other dog wouldn’t bite me, I knew this one would. Just then VRC volunteers arrived. They could tell I needed help and quickly tossed another loop around the dog, he let out another cry and started biting at the ropes. Double looping is a trick I learned from Tia Torres; this allows two people to hold each of their ropes tight so that the dog can't reach either person. I opened the pen and handed both ropes through to myself and my teammate. This was the saddest part. As we both pulled the dog through the open gate he pulled back. Finally, we got him face-to-face with a crate, and with the officer's help, we managed to get Mickey in and close it up.
Both dogs loaded into the cars safe and sound. I thanked the officer for his help and off we went to VRC. That night the two trailer park boys as I had started to call them, stayed in their crates in the garage. Brody seemed happy with his warm clean new safe space. Mickey sat still and quiet but was still very scared. I sat on the floor next to him. I didn’t say anything I just watched him, as he watched me. As our eyes met, I cried, as I began to speak my voice cracked, "I'm sorry, I’m sorry for what you’ve been through and what I had to do to get you here. I wish I could take away your pain and fear but all I can do is promise you’ll never have to go through that again."
I placed my hand against the cage, and Mickey let out a low growl. "It's okay if you want to bite me, I’d feel the same way around humans after what you have been through." I gave them both another treat, turned out the light, and left them for the night to decompress.
Days went by and Brody was a bouncy bundle of joy. Mickey, although more trusting, was still not on his brother’s level. Now, both dogs run and play with each other and with us here at VRC. They are gaining weight and soon will be ready for adoption. This job is not for the faint of heart, and although I thought I would feel better seeing them, happy and healthy, every time Mickey and I lock eyes, I cry. He took the peace of my soul to help heal himself and now I am not the same, but I would give it up again if it helps him heal completely. I’d do whatever it takes to take away his pain.
Thank you for reading Mickey and Brody's story. If you would like to read more about our rescues, tune in regularly as we continue to update our blogs.
Thank you for supporting Valhalla Rescue Center. If you want to donate to VRC or find other ways to help our cause, please email us at valhallarescuecenter@gmail.com.
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