A beautiful little dog had been running around the neighborhood for months. With her perfectly triangular ears, delicate face, and reddish coat, she could easily be mistaken for a fox.
The neighbors had been trying everything they could think of to catch her and get her somewhere safer but nothing worked. Until one day, someone had some ice cream. The foxy little dog, curious and opinionated lady that she is, decided ice cream might be just her thing. And in a sweet, frozen moment of glory, the neighbors finally met a little dog named Penny up close.
Penny was in pretty rough shape. She was starved, her hair was falling out, and she needed treatment for several parasites. Oddly though, her little belly seemed quite rotund. It was soon confirmed that Penny was going to be a momma. Despite her fragile medical state, Penny gave birth to a small litter of very adorable puppies that looked just like her. Due to her condition, she wasn’t able to nurse them herself so they went home with a surrogate momma dog and soon moved on to homes of their own.
Penny was not quite so lucky. Though her body was healing thanks to the dedication of one of the neighbors who’d worked so hard to catch her and bring her to safety, she was a semi-feral dog living in a boarding facility and in need of more support than she could get there. With a heavy heart, Penny was surrendered to the shelter when her caregiver felt she’d run out of options.
It was only a few days after her intake when Penny was brought to our attention. The shelter was not her cup of tea and she was lacking the social skills to successfully interact with the people who were trying to help her.
She was also amazing.
From moment one, we were smitten with this little fox shaped dog and quickly accepted her into the program. She has been a complete joy to work with. So very smart and absolutely bursting with a quirky, free-spirited personality. Penny is a one of a kind dog and her progress has been nothing short of astounding. As Penny learned to trust and engage, we got to know the affectionate, silly little dog that has completely stolen our hearts.
Penny now enjoys making new friends, loves to hit the trails around town, hops eagerly into the car for her next adventure, and has come a long way in learning appropriate manners in a home. She’s a wonderful hiking, running, or walking buddy. She has lovely leash manners. She has discovered the total awesomeness of toys and special doggie chews. She attends group training classes, TTouch classes, and goes on field trips all over Austin. She’s a beautiful little success story looking for her happy new beginning and a home of her own.
Unfortunately, Penny is now at-risk of not getting that new beginning she so very much deserves. The shelter has been consistently far over-capacity and dogs who don’t do well in the shelter environment are the first to be at-risk. Penny is one of those dogs. We simply cannot imagine that Penny has come this far only to be told it’s not good enough. That she may pay with her life despite working so hard to learn everything we’ve asked of her.
We are not going to let that happen.
Penny is a great dog, a truly special and once in a lifetime companion. We know her person is out there and we hope they’re reading this right now. An adopter or foster home will save Penny’s life and Penny is a dog that’s going to change the life of whoever brings her home for the better. She still has a bit left to learn but she also has a whole lot to teach us all about vibrancy, hope, and the wonder of this crazy thing we call life. Living it to its fullest is something at which Penny is an expert.
Can you help us save Penny? Please email adopt@dogsoutloud.org for more information and let’s make sure the Penny story has the beautiful next chapter this little dog has worked so hard to earn.
*UPDATE: Penny has found a temporary foster home but it is just that…temporary. She would love to find a longer-term foster or better yet, a home of her very own! She comes with comprehensive post-adoption support and training. Let’s send this girl home to stay!