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| Stella at the shelter |
Stella, a precocious American blue
heeler mix, turned two
in March. She came to the shelter with her mother and four siblings in April,
2014. This entire canine family was struck with tragedy. The mother, Simone, was
heart worm positive. She was treated and was transferred to a rescue who found
her a home. However, four of her five pups contracted parvo virus and died. Little
Stella was the lone survivor of the litter
Dags, a cheerful American pit bull
terrier, came to us in July of 2016 with two other dogs. They had been found,
abandoned, by the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department. All three were very
underweight, crawling with fleas, and dehydrated. They were held on a “cruelty
hold” while the sheriff’s department attempted to find the owner. They were
unsuccessful.
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| Dags at the shelter |
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| Stella with a dog bed her mom knit |
What do these two dogs have in
common? Both were adopted by Dotti and Karl Call, and their children Kaya and
Magnolia, of Oklahoma City, OK. They adopted Stella as a puppy. Fostering first,
they introduced her to their senior dog. There were some concerns about how the
relationship would go as Stella’s new big sister, Scooby, had been the Queen of
the Castle for some time. The goofy puppy, however, stole Scooby’s heart (and
food and toys) in no time.
Two years later, after Scooby had
passed, the family wasn’t really looking for a new pet. However, Dotti’s sister
works at the CCHS and was completely smitten with the sweet tempered Dags.
Knowing what a soft touch Dotti and Karl are she broached the subject of just
fostering Dags for a couple of weeks to see how things went. Stella, after all,
needed a playmate, right? Within half an hour of the family meeting Dags, it was
clear that she had found her furever home.
Dotti says, “When
Dags first came to us, she really didn't seem to know how to ‘dog’. We think
this may be due to her having been kept in a small cage or enclosure during much
of her early life. We would take her for rides in the car and she didn't know
what to do with an open window. We got her a nice soft bed, she laid on the
floor beside it. We got her toys and chewies, she just looked at them, no idea
what she was meant to do. In the short time she's been with us, all of this has
changed. She now has the most joyous playful nature. She jumps in the car and
immediately paws to have the window rolled down so she can stick her whole head
out of the car.”
These two wonderful girls are now
living the dream and making the Call family happy every day. They love to go
hiking, take rides in the convertible, and play endlessly with each other. This
summer the two pooches went on a road trip to Colorado where they ran around
in the woods, made new friends at dog parks, and went to restaurants all over
Denver.
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| Dags, Stella, and Karl in Colorado |
Sometimes the most tragic beginnings
lead to the
happiest endings.
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| Stella & Dags hitting the restaurant scene |
