His dad left him here. In the kennel. Surrounded by the other dogs.
He’s so scared. Dad dropped him off like it was nothing. Filled out the papers and just walked away. Five years they’d spent together reduced to ink on a page and no looking back.
The kitten hides in the litterbox. Won’t come out. Every noise makes her jump. She must be eating at night time because the food in the cage definitely goes down, but no one ever sees her consume it.
It’s heartbreaking.
The new dog is older. There’s gray around his eyes. He’s got a growth on his leg. Probably cancer. He was found in the outside run, left overnight.
Probably someone who couldn’t take the responsibility and be with him when they had to say goodbye.
Or just didn’t want to deal with it.
The terrier mix watches the door. Every single time it opens. We know she expects her mom to come back. But mom said she tore up the house too many times and when she’d shredded the Boyd’s Bear it was just too much.
An older cat had too many hairballs. Too many hairballs? Some of the staff think of how often they clean up after their cats and how many hairballs they find on the floor and wonder how other people don’t take the time to care for animals.
All of the dogs and cats wait at the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter.
They’re waiting for a second chance.
Eventually, the scared boy gets used to the staff members and he licks a hand, looks forward to his daily walks – wags his tail for the Animal Care Technician he loves the best.
The kitten comes out of the litterbox one day because the same person said her name in that same tone. It took time, but she does head-butt the cage and has become quite the attention hog. She gets kisses on the top of her head because no one seems able to resist her.
The staff took a chance on the older dog – had the lump removed from his leg. The vet said he should make a full recovery. He’s got hope in those brown eyes that are just starting to get cataracts – hope that can be seen through the gray hairs on his face and it makes people smile.
The terrier starts to watch the door for anyone to come through. Staff can tell there’s still that little twinge that she’s looking for mom, but eventually she gets so excited to see anyone – animal care technician, volunteer, visitor. She’s a sweet bundle of energy who just loves squeaky toys and yes, she tears them up, but diligence will keep valuables safe.
The cat with the hairballs does incredibly well on hairball specific cat food. No more messes. He’s a big boy, sturdy and lovable, and he’s looking for someone to understand that life with an animal isn’t always perfect.
None of them would be considered perfect, but looking into their eyes, we know the right person will see beyond whatever issues brought them to the shelter to the soul that lies beneath.
All of them are resilient and forgiving and that, alone, touches hearts.
The Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter offers second chances. Will you help us and provide one to a four-legged friend?
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Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates thrift stores in Chambersburg and Shippensburg. Readers can help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the stores.
