When a 4-year-old American Bulldog mix named Samantha was picked up from the streets of southern Florida by Miami-Dade Animal Service (MDAS), she was in pretty rough shape.
Not only was she covered in dirt and in need of medical attention, but the expression on her face was a heartbreaking one.
A Sad Doggo
As soon as she arrived at the shelter, she was given a nice bath and a head-to-tail checkup.
Since Samantha was a very good girl, it didn’t take long for her to get back on her paws and be as healthy as ever.
The shelter immediately started looking for her new forever home, placing her on the adoptable list and advertising her picture for everyone to see.
The whole shelter was excited for the day when this little pup would go off to her new home, filled with laughter and joy. Unfortunately, they were left shocked when a year went by without any inquiries about Samantha.
As time went on, Samantha started to look sadder, losing all hope for a brighter future.
A year later, Samantha’s shelter reached its maximum capacity and was no longer able to care for some of their dogs, including Samantha.
They quickly reached out to another shelter, Humans and Animals United, in Florida, checking if they could help Samantha find her forever home.
After receiving a few pictures of Samantha in her kennel, HAU’s founder, Rosa Found, was left saddened.
“Those photos broke us. We decided to pick her up, and then we’d figure out the rest,” said Rosa.
One of the HAU’s volunteers quickly made their way over to MDAS, ready to transport sweet Samantha to her new temporary home.
On Their Way
However, the volunteer couldn’t help but notice Samantha being very stiff, even after she did her best to try to make her as comfortable as she could be.
Samantha wasn’t really responding to the person who picked her up. She was too scared.
Deciding to try another tactic, the volunteer stopped her car, turned to Samantha, and simply talked to her in a very smooth and gentle voice.
She stopped the car and just talked to her for, like, 10 minutes. That’s when Samantha started opening up. She started smiling as the volunteer was talking to her.
As she finally felt seen and understood, Samantha’s frown turned upside down immediately.
After they had their little chat, the volunteer dropped Samantha off at a local trainer who agreed to board and work with Samantha for a 30-day period.
Even though Samantha hasn’t found her forever home yet, the change of environment sure did her some good.
She did wonderfully there. She’s been doing so, so good.
Foster Home
When those 30 days passed, Samantha managed to find a loving foster home. Even though this may not be her forever home, this little doggo is still surrounded by love and attention.
And, she’s sure loving it.
She loves toys. She loves her bed, and she loves being with a human. All she wants to do is lay on someone and be petted.
It is obvious that Samantha understands and receives all the love she gets with open paws.
Rosa also believes that this is an excellent way for Samantha to finally find her forever home.
With her training and time spent around humans who shower her with attention, Samantha is an easy fit for any family dynamic.
I wish Samantha all the luck in her search, hoping that she will soon find the happy and loving forever family she truly deserves.
