Asenior dog in an alarming state of health was found abandoned in a park alongside a heartbreaking note.
Kim Astringer, the director of New Jersey-based Tiny Paws Rescue, said they were first tipped off to the plight of 15-year-old Sheba after receiving a phone call asking for help. “A good Samaritan found her tied to a park bench, alone, with the note from her owner,” Astringer told Newsweek. The note read: “Please take me and love me.”
Little is known about Sheba’s life before the shelter.
“She was missing some fur, had some matted fur, and had severe dental disease,” Astringer said.”Through a vet exam and senior bloodwork, we found that Sheba has an underactive thyroid. She was immediately started on medication for that.”
They also quickly discovered that Sheba was deaf and had “limited vision” at best. Despite this, Astringer noted she still “seems to navigate pretty well” around the shelter.
The note that was left with Sheba also gave Astringer some pause for thought.
“We would like to believe that she was loved by her previous family and that they maybe did not have the means to get her the proper vet care she needed
Sadly, she said situations like the one that played out here are not as uncommon as some might think. “Times are tough these days for families,” Astringer said. “Homelessness is on the rise and sadly, they may have felt that this their only option to find her a better home, a better life.”
Before Sheba can find that better life, she’s having to adjust to life away from everything she once called home. It’s an adjustment many dogs struggle with.
Dogs entering shelters were found to have three times the level of the stress hormone cortisol in their system over the first three days following admission, compared with canines from an ordinary household, according to a 2006 study in the journal Physiology and Behavior.
Given her age and health status, it was perhaps unsurprising that Sheba endured some struggles when she first arrived at Tiny Paws Rescue.
“When she first came to us it was hard on her; she was obviously terrified and confused,” Astringer said. “She would just shake with her head down in the corner of the room.”
Thankfully, things have improved significantly since then and once Sheba was taken in by a foster carer. “She’s doing much better in the week we’ve had her, coming out of her shell a little more every day,” Astringer said. “She enjoys a restful sleep in her comfy bed and also loves going on leashed walks. She’s a complete joy to be around!”
Describing Sheba as a “well socialized, very friendly” dog who is comfortable with people of all ages and canines alike, Astringer said that while she’s only been with them a short amount of time, they already have some idea of what kind of home would suit the senior pup best.
“We are still getting to know her but Sheba would definitely enjoy a quiet home with maybe one other low key or laid back dog her size,” Astringer said.
Astringer shared a video to TikTok last week detailing Sheba’s plight and the help they are giving her in the hope that it might shine a light on the efforts of rescue organizations like hers. “These smaller organizations, like ours, are in desperate need of monetary support so we can continue to help the pets in our local communities,” she said.