25 May Second Chance: The Story of Shay Shay…The Eyes Have It!
Second Chance Humane Society’s Animal Resource Center and Thrift Shops have been serving San Miguel, Ouray & Montrose Counties for 27 years. Call 626-2273 to report a lost pet, learn about adopting a homeless pet, or about the emergency response, community medical, spay/neuter, volunteer, or other services.
View shelter pets and services online: www.adoptmountainpets.org.
Go here for more options from Second Chance.
Sometimes you think someone is right for you, but you end up going in a completely different direction. That happens in romance – and pet adoptions.
When Janie and Steve Goldberg of Telluride lost their beloved DeeDee, The One-Eyed Dog, they were devastated. Steve wanted to wait to bring another canine family member into their home, but Janie thought it might help to heal their hearts to adopt another dog sooner rather than later. As a former board member, volunteer and longtime supporter of Second Chance Humane Society, Janie often visited the shelter. It was on one of these visits that she fell in love with an adorable six-week-old puppy. Even Steve agreed, and the adoption was finalized. As the puppy was a bit too young to leave the shelter, they would pick her up a few weeks later at a Montrose Chow Down event.
When Janie and Steve showed up at the mobile adoption event in January of 2014, ready to bring their new pup into its forever home, they saw a young boy cradling their sleeping puppy in his arms. Steve, being a quiet, observant type, waited quietly in a chair, watching both the boy cuddle the puppy, as well as the adoptable dogs running around in the makeshift pen. With the memories of DeeDee still fresh in his mind, he was visibly sad.
While Steve waited for the puppy’s adoption papers to be processed, an adult dog came over to Steve and laid her head in his lap. It was as though she sensed his sadness. She looked up at Steve with her soulful brown eyes and Steve could not help but smile, as the three- or four-year-old dog leaned even closer to him. Meanwhile, Janie and a shelter employee went over to the family with the little boy and the employee said “Thank you for holding this lady’s new puppy. He’s going to his new home now.”
As she held out her arms to take the puppy from the boy, he began to cry, and grasped the puppy even tighter. Janie saw how sad the little boy was and glanced over at Steve who suddenly stood up and said: “Wait…that puppy belongs to the little boy. We’ll adopt this one.”
And that is how two dogs found their forever homes instead of just one pet!
It was the perfect match, as Janie and Steve were experienced in adopting dogs with special needs or challenges. Shay Shay suffered from seizures, the cause of which was uncertain, and she had been at the shelter for quite a while, as her condition deterred most people from considering her. Steve and Janie decided to take a chance and opened their home and hearts to her.. and that was all Shay Shay needed.
The falling-in-love part of this story is short. Steve and Janie got Shay Shay home and showed her the love and acceptance she needed so badly. Perhaps because she sensed this love and knew she’d never be abandoned or rejected again, Shay stopped having seizures completely. A local favorite around Telluride – neighbors, friends, and strangers all love the sweet, friendly, loving black-and-white dog with the beautiful eyes, whose favorite activity, besides hiking with her “Mom and Dad” has been participating in Second Chance’s Pets Turning Pages, where she goes into school classrooms to listen to children read to her, while she stares at them lovingly with those soulful brown eyes.
The pairing of Shay Shay with the Goldbergs was a match made in heaven and proves the theory that both romances and pet adoptions are best with happy endings!
Adoption stories such as this remind us of the importance of our mission, connecting pets, people & community while saving lives.
And now a word from our pets of the week…
We know it’s tempting to take home a kitten or puppy- they’re so cute! That makes it really tough for cats like us to get noticed. We are Park and Tay – and we’re best friends. We’d love to have a home together where we can be your friend too.
Please come meet us!
Park
Tay
AND… To continue the new Second Chance Highlights section. We want to share the following:
Second Chance is starting our training classes again! Next session starts 6/1.
We also have a new pet adoption sponsor- SERVPRO of Montrose/Telluride who are sponsoring a “Pet of the Month.’
For May: Our SERVPRO Pet of the Month is LeeLee. She is a gorgeous, long-haired dilute calico who has been with us way too long. She’s better in a quiet environment, and would prefer to be the only cat. She loves be curled up in your lap for head scratches and brushing. Please give this beautiful girl her second chance.
To meet LeeLee, call the shelter at (970)626-2273 or email sam@adoptmountainpets.org
Second Chance is looking for volunteers
Summer is a busy time for us. Please consider donating your time at Montrose Summer Music and/or our shelter.
And- we need kitten fosters: If you are able to help, call the shelter: (970) 626-2273 or email sam@adoptmountainpets.org
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