On October 14, 2014, a beautiful Brittany/terrier mix was surrendered to Lenawee Humane Society with her canine brother, Hank, a yellow Labrador Retriever. It was quite apparent that both dogs were well-loved members of the family but due to financial reasons, their owner had to part with them. It was a heart-breaking separation.
Hank bounced back quickly. He greeted new people with a smiling face and wagging tail. Everyone became smitten with his charms and he found a new family less than a month after arriving at LHS.
Angel, on the other hand, took her separation very hard. For the first several weeks after she arrived at LHS, she wouldn't let anyone touch her. She received walks every day but stayed as far away from the person on the other end as possible. She was spoiled with toys, extra treats, and even play time with other dogs. She slowly started to come out of her shell with certain people but would become fearful of strangers and snap at them if they came too close to her "safety bubble."
The first week of November, we decided to call in the big gun. Ted Aranda, an amazing dog behaviorist, began working with Angel almost every single day. Progress was slow at first but then something amazing happened. Angel transformed from a dog who would defensively try to keep people away from her kennel to a happy, wagging bundle of energy. She couldn't wait until her next adventure with "Uncle Ted." Car rides, parks, and pet stores quickly became a few of her favorite things.
Angel made a huge transformation since that emotional day in October when she lost her family. As she came out of her shell, she began stealing the hearts of everyone involved in saving her. However, there was still the tricky business of finding her forever family. Her adorable looks captured the attention of a few families who came in to meet her, but Angel decided they weren't hers. We respected her decisions, said our thank you's and goodbye's, and kept waiting for the perfect family.
On March 27th, 2015, everything changed. A couple walked into LHS and absolutely captivated Angel. During her meet and greet, Angel fell head over heels for the two. She had picked them. We all knew it, and they knew it too. Watching her interact with two people she had just met, kissing them and playing with them, brought tears to our eyes. Our girl had completed her journey and she was finally, finally, on her way home.
Angel's story is an emotional one. She touched every single person who interacted with her, especially Ted Aranda, who truly became her savior. Without his perseverance and belief in Angel, her fear of the unknown may have kept her from the wonderful future she now has. We want to give a huge, huge THANK YOU to Ted for saving Angel. We also want to thank Deb Strayer for alerting us to Angel's situation and allowing us to offer our help.
Of course, we want to give an enormous, gratitude-filled THANK YOU to Angel's new family for accepting her, believing in her, and falling in love with her. Thank you for giving her a future!
As a no-kill organization, Angel's story encompasses Lenawee Humane Society's belief that every single life matters. We will always work our hardest to save them all.
