Rescue Stories - Meet Khala!
Hi friends! Rescue Stories series is back this month and we have an amazing new pup for you to meet. As you know, during these ruff times, animal shelters and organizations have been struggling to maintain enough funding and supplies to support the hundreds of adoptable dogs/pets in their shelters. We are doing everything we can to help their efforts!
At Fit & Go Pets we play an important role (sometimes big, sometimes small) in helping dog rescue parents and their dogs as they go through their rescue journey and adapt to a new life. We see, first hand, entire lives changed for the better. We feel this role we serve is a big part of who we are as a company, and our duty, to help our community and help as many dogs and pawrents as possible.
We are so excited to introduce you to this month's Rescue Story... meet Khala!
Khala's Rescue Profile:
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Rescue date: Summer 2015
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Breed: Mixed
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Approximate age: 11
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Personality: Gumpy at first, but very sweet when she trusts you; very smart
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Loves to: Lay in the sun and play with her human sister Ana
Her mom Mariluz tells us Khala’s story:
Khala’s rescue story begins when she was picked up from the streets of Madrid by a dog pound known as the “the dog pound of horrors.” There, dogs are put down 21 days after no one claims them and they are treated terribly. Luckily, a local dog rescue organization called RAMA (Rescate Animal Marina Alta) took her in and placed her in a foster home. Through a friend of mine, I heard about Khala and she put me in contact with them. We immediately fell in love with her through the videos and pictures we received.
When we picked up Khala from there, she was very frightened, and this could have been mistaken for aggressiveness. She stayed under my bed for the first three days, refusing to come out, but little by little she became more comfortable with us. We noticed that it took a lot more time for her to trust men, especially if they wore hats, so we deduced that she had probably been abused at some point.
It took about a year for her to fully integrate into the family. Now she is a member of our family and is happy to go wherever we go. She’s traveled the world with us. With Khala’s trust came infinite loyalty that she shows with her affection every day for the simple act of kindness we showed her in offering her a home.
The greatest lesson:
Through the experience of rescuing Khala, I learned that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make the world a little bit better. In offering protection, love, and care to Khala we received the joy of an affectionate dog whose loyalty proves she is more valuable than a mere 21 day grace period. In these six years with her, we couldn’t have been happier with our decision. Her story sheds light on the good work that these organizations do to fight animal cruelty.
A piece of advice:
My advice is to be patient. When you get a dog from the litter, you have to teach it to go potty or train it to respect your furniture. I have never had to teach Khala any of that. She has always been very respectful of everything, she follows me everywhere (with or without a leash) and although it was difficult for her to learn how to play, she’ll bring a stick so I can throw it at her when we go outdoors. She is definitely like any other dog, only that her adaptation process to a new home was somewhat different.
What I wish I had known:
We always knew that everything would turn out well. She fears male humans and it seems that it will always be like that. However, apart from barking at them for a while, she then rolls over on her back to get belly rubs from them.
We know you have a wonderful dog rescue story. Tell us your story so we can post it on our blog and share it with all the people we know. It will take 5-8 minutes of your time. Let's get more people excited about dog rescue!
