Mia is ready to go home.
A home of her own with a nice, comfortable dog bed. To have a family who will cherish her and shower her with love and attention. To be taken on short walks and brushed until she shines.
Mia came into the Oakdale Animal Shelter in May, a short, very overweight mass of brown and black fur. She appeared to be an adult German Shepherd mix, but hard to tell for sure. Her dark eyes were hardly noticeable amidst all the extra pounds and hair.
Clearly neglected, likely dumped, she was a sad sight. She seemed depressed, had little energy or enthusiasm. Undaunted, shelter staff and volunteers patiently evaluated Mia in the days after her arrival. They noted how she gently took treats, became brighter each day she had a short walk, some yard time in the sunshine and a good belly rub. It also became clear she had a strong will emerging from her heft and darkness. She made it very clear she did not want to go back into her kennel.
After more than three months in the shelter, Mia is a different dog. She has undergone a beauty makeover. Bathed, groomed and placed on a diet, she is the first one to get pulled for daily walks and yard time. Her eyes, soft brown pools, now show up readily. She was placed on meds to ease her discomfort from a bit of arthritis in her hips. Her walks are longer now and strolling by the river has improved her stamina and brightened her spirits.
She is now the resident celebrity at the shelter, getting to spend part of her days in the staff office, greeting the public. She is relishing the notoriety.
“Mia loves people so she is enjoying all the extra attention,” said Donna Baker, a shelter volunteer.
“Now she actually trots a little when she knows we are going to the river,” added volunteer Lisa Dolling.
She still doesn’t want to go back into her kennel.
“Mia turns this way and that way if she thinks we are heading in,” said another volunteer. “She reminds me of a child who stalls when they don’t want to do something. It is a very definite ploy to avoid what she dreads most.”
The loneliness of the shelter.
One day recently, she made a jailbreak, escaping out the back door of the office, setting off a pandemonium and a posse of staff members to chase her down. She didn’t make it easy for them.
“Don’t think that girl can’t run when she wants to get away from that place,” laughed shelter volunteer Deanna Hall.
Yet as Mia’s star has risen, so has the concern for her future. It is time for Mia to leave the shelter. To continue her life improvements and to have a home to call her own.
She would be best in a home with no other dogs, for quiet and calm. She loves children and would make the perfect dog for a household that isn’t too busy or hectic. She will make an ideal companion. Her adoption fee has been paid by a volunteer who hopes she will be adopted to a loving home soon. She is spayed, microchipped and vaccinated.
From ugly duckling to princess, Mia’s time is now. Time to go home.
This article was provided by volunteers at the Oakdale Animal Shelter, which serves the communities of Oakdale, Riverbank and Escalon.
