Shelby the Miracle Dog needs a permanent home. Dog expert Patience Renzulli talks with Shelby’s rescuer Deb Lyons about why this pooch makes a perfect date — and lifelong mate! (And Shelby has a few thoughts on the subject, too!) If you’re interested in welcoming Shelby to your home, please email Deb.
Patience Renzulli: Shelby is cute, cute, cute, now, no doubt about it! But not so much when you found her, right Deb?
Deb Lyons: Shelby was a pathetic little dog. We first saw her curled up on some summer cushions in a neighbor’s outbuilding. We could tell that she was weak, hungry and possibly sick, but when she was coaxed off her chair, we realized that she had given over to what seemed inevitable. When we actually got Shelby out of the crate at the vets, we (humans) all took turns crying. She was the walking dead; a skeleton that was still breathing.
(Shelby: You saved my life. I had just about given up.)
PR: Knowing that she was literally 24 to 48 hours away from starving to death, and not knowing anything else about her, and knowing that your house was going on the market, what made you and Merle brave enough to foster her? That was hugely cool, by the way. DL: I didn’t even ask Merle. He has a huge heart and tons of compassion for all living things, and I knew that he would trust our instinct that this dog not only could, but should be rescued.
As for the house, I thought that neighbors, who said things like, “Oh, I’d love to have a dog some day,” would magically know that this was the time and that Shelby would only be with us for a few days. Neighbors have stepped forward with food, toys, more money for vet bills and food, loan of heavy warm coats, dog sitting, help with training, just stopping by to keep us all company, emails with wonderful wishes.
A lovely lady named Cara, who lives in Canada, heard about Shelby from your blog and sent us three great books. Saving Shelby has been a wonderful community effort.
PR: What’s her favorite thing to do?DL: Shelby loves, loves, loves her “Bad Cuz” squeaky toy. It is a bright orange squeaky rubber ball with little horns and big feet. Oh my yes. We have a long hallway on the first floor which gives her a chance to build up some speed chasing a tossed Cuz and skip/gallop back to have another go at a toss. She’s also quite fond of a good rub all over.
(Shelby: Eat. Sleep. Play. Cuddle. That about covers it.)
PR: How old is Shelby, and how much will she weigh? Is she about the size of a Lab?
DL: The wonderful vet told us that Shelby is two years old. We think that her final weight might be around 65 pounds. And speaking of weight, she’s built more muscle every day. It’s awe-inspiring to watch the muscle develop where there had only been bone. I feel privileged to be experiencing this.
PR: And what about her personality? Can you tell us about what she's like?
DL: Shelby is so full of love, and she is so very smart. She will be an absolutely outstanding dog if folks continue to work with her. She has some basics such as “sit,” “stay,” “wait,” “out” (ball, anything in her mouth.) She’s learning “down” right now. She is crate-trained and house-trained, which is a huge plus.
(Shelby: And I have short hair, and I don’t shed much and I’m a gorgeous lioness of a dog. And I am the embodiment of canine coolness!)
PR: If you had to guess, what do you think her life was like before you rescued her?
DL: I can only guess about why she ended up in our neighborhood. Shelby has had a litter of pups. No one knows if this was in her previous home or out in the wild. She seemed to have been scavenging for food from garbage cans and who knows what. Neighbors had spotted her the day before we found her and were horrified. No one had ever seen a dog so skinny and still alive.
But the good news was that she had some affection and training at one time in her early life — we can tell by the way that she adores being with people. She really wants to love and be loved. She thrives on it.
PR: So, what do you think would be the perfect forever home for Shelby? I know there are a lot of unknowns, and still some serious health issues. She must be spayed, and she is heartworm positive, so she has to go through the heartworm treatment.
DL: We know so little about Shelby’s first two years. She seems curious about kids and other dogs (she doesn’t seem aggressive, but we just don’t know). It might be best if she was with adults only, or maybe adults and older kids. Shelby is going to be one strong dog once she has completely recovered — shoot, she’s getting there already, so she might not be the right match for an elderly person.
We want Shelby to be an indoor member of a family, whether it’s one person or several. We absolutely do not want her to be tied to a tree or a line, left out in all types of weather, with little interaction with others. She has a strong will to live — we can tell by her amazing recovery. And that strong will to live makes for an awesome, loving, very smart pet. After what she’s been through…
(Shelby: Frisbee anyone? Fenced yard? Or jogger? Angel? I need an Angel. And I will love and protect you as best I can for long as I live.)
PR: What is your very favorite thing about her, and what is your least fave?
DL: I love the way that Shelby, who’s been through who knows what and come so close to dying of starvation, is still able to give unconditional love. She’s big for a lap dog, but we do our best to cuddle anyway.
My least favorite thing is that our three cats stay on the second floor. Shelby gets excited when she sees one of them and they automatically head for the hills.
(Shelby: Heeeere, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!!! Muwhaaah ha ha!)
PR: Has Shelby learned anything since you've had her? Is she smart?
DL: Smart, smart, smart — this is one very smart little doggy girl. I think that she has the capacity to learn all sorts of good things, commands and how to catch a Frisbee mid-air. She’s beginning to get good air with her Cuz in our hallway!
(Shelby: Yah, baby, throw the ball, throw the ball, I do love when you throw the ball!)
PR: What happens if we can't find a forever home for her? Why can't you just keep her?
DL: I’m hoping that we can find a wonderful forever home for this special loving dog. If we can’t, I imagine that we’ll have to turn to our local no-kill animal adoption agencies. Our wonderful vets at Ceglinski Animal Clinic are keeping a watchful eye out for a potential home.
We love this dog and feel privileged to have helped her thus far, but we knew when we took her in it had to be temporary. We are moving to a smaller space, we don’t have a backyard for her to run and play. We have the three cats who have been with us for 12 and 13 years.
(Shelby: Damn cats.)
PR: Well, Deb and Merle, I think it is one of the most generous, cool, totally A+things ever that you took in this dog and saved her life! I mean really, how often do you find someone who will do something so special? And I can see by the way Shelby looks at you guys that she knows exactly what you did for her.
(Shelby: Thank you, Deb and Merle. You saved my life.)
If you’d like to meet Shelby, please email Deb Lyons.
