On January 27th we received a transport of pups from our friends at Leech Lake Legacy. In this transport was a concerned mama dog and her hungry little puppies. Our animal care staff made a quick connection that this dog had little to no human contact where she came from, but she sure was a good mother.
Monkey and her puppies made themselves right at home in their kennel in the back office. Staff eventually got used to the ever-present smell of messy puppies. Once the little ones were big enough, they were sent to foster care to ensure they get properly socialized due to their mama’s huge trust issues with humans.
Over time, Monkey had her favorite humans at the shelter and her favorite toys. One pivotal moment for her was when our animal care staff discovered her love for three monkey toys strung together. These monkeys made a bunch of wacky noises and helped Monkey learn how to play which is why she was named Monkey. We, of course, had plenty of other toys for Monkey to play with which she would make a pile of and lay on top of them. A post-mothering instinct perhaps.
Months passed by with Monkey inching along to becoming a happier dog and getting her further removed from her feral life. We worked with dog trainers and every morning before we opened she visited new part of the shelter and met different people. She had left an imprint on a lot of us. We could leave her kennel door and the office door wide open and she’d just stay in her kennel and observe with those bright brown eyes of hers.
We got to the point where we were comfortable advertising Monkey on our website for adoption. We needed a home for her that could rigorously continue her socialization and love her as is. Monkey received some interest, but none were quite the right fit until one young lady came along.
This young girl made an instant connection with Monkey. They found a lot of similarities with one another—they both get uncomfortable in new surroundings and around new people, but once they are together those fears go away. Monkey was adopted on August 4th after spending 8 months with us. They stopped in the shelter today for a visit.
It took some time and effort, but it “feels good” to see them together – I’m comfortable saying it was well worth it and a labor of love! And YOU helped make that happen!