Chloe's Story
Chloe was found wandering the streets around Houston, Texas in the aftermath of a hurricane. She had apparently been abandoned by her owner during the evacuation and rode out the hurricane on her own without food or shelter. She had obviously been mistreated by her former owner. She was estimated to be about 6 months old at the time.
She was taken to an overwhelmed animal shelter, where the workers immediately noted that she was a scared, but sweet and eager to please young pup who needed a family. She was brought to Ohio, on their recommendation, by the owner of Lovable Furry Friends Pet Rescue, in the hopes that she would find her forever home.
Our journey to Chloe began with one of our then 15-month-old son's favorite books. It was a farm-themed board book that had an adorable, black and white border collie in it. One day he pointed at it and said, "go-ggy," so proud of himself for his new word. All of the sudden every animal was also a "go-ggy." Ducks. Sheep. Cows. Frogs. And he would go crazy when he saw a real dog. It was obvious when he began saying "go-ggy" unprompted that he was asking for a dog of his own. Being dog lovers ourselves, we knew we wouldn't be able to tell him "no" for long.
We applied to see several dogs with Lovable Furry Friends through Pet Finder. The rescue strongly recommended that we meet Chloe first, as she was "gentle" and would likely be good for our small son. As soon as we met Chloe, we knew she was the dog for us. She immediately warmed to our family and was very gentle with our son. You could tell that she was happy with the prospect of having a family, and most especially a tiny human of her own. She was hugging our 15-month-old an hour after we brought her home.
As there are so many pets in need of a home, we have only ever considered adopting a dog. Rescued dogs take a while to get comfortable in their new homes -- they often fear instability and repeated loss of their families. They can also have behavioral issues or unusual fears due to poor living conditions in their past. They do require special care and attention. But a well-loved and well-adjusted dog who has been rescued is the most loving and grateful pet in the world. And it is a wonderfully rewarding experience to help them adjust to a loving home.
Chloe, specifically, is fearful of rain. Although she is still clingy during thunderstorms, she no longer cowers. And for a long time was hesitant to take treats offered to her. Now, she eagerly takes treats from the hands of Akron Children's patients and families with obvious joy. She also had abandonment fears and was stressed the first time we took her on vacation. The enormous smile on her face when we brought her back home with us was amazing. It has been a real joy watching Chloe gain confidence in her position in our household. Her capacity to love in spite of her awful beginning in life is astounding.
I strongly believe that overcoming significant difficulties in her youth has made her uniquely good at understanding when people need comfort and helps her to motivate the children she volunteers with at OT/PT/Speech Therapy.
