By Carly Guise Editor-in-Chief Ears that stand ready at attention and brown eyes that beg for love (but more importantly, food). A tongue that lolls to the side to reveal a toothy smile. Four feet that are waiting to be taken on a walk. A stocky pitbull body that wants to snuggle in for the night. Her name is Gracey. She just celebrated her eighth birthday. She’s been waiting for a forever home for a little over two years. She arrived at the Harford County Humane Society in Maryland in November 2015. Her former family, who called her Macey, had surrendered her after they decided they could no longer care for her.
She quickly became a shelter favorite, according to shelter volunteer Wenke Porter. The shelter even held a “Macey’s Day” event in August 2016 as an active effort to get her adopted. She was adopted after the event, but returned to the shelter again in November of the same year. “She did well in her adopted home,” Mrs. Porter said via email, “but, one day, when the former adopter took her for a walk, a stray dog came up to them. The dog and Gracey got into a fight, so she was returned to the shelter.” After her return, the shelter renamed her Gracey with the hope that it would give her a fresh start. Gracey remained at the humane society until October of this year, when a local animal rescue, The Last Dog Rescue, based in Windsor, brought her to their boarding facility. “Some of her favorite shelter volunteers wanted to help walk her and continue her basic training,” Mrs. Porter said, “but it is almost an hour drive from Harford county, so we weren’t able to see her on a regular basis.” Gracey spent six weeks with The Last Dog Rescue. She is currently residing in Mrs. Porter’s home as a temporary foster until a long-term solution can be found. “She has been wonderful - a great mix of wanting to snuggle and be independent,” Mrs. Porter said. “I think that a lot of people are intimidated by the pitbull breed because of how the media has reported pitbull attacks. But it happens with other breeds as well, and every pitbull I have ever met has been so affectionate.” The Last Dog Rescue’s website describes Gracey as, “the definition of a loyal dog. She is naturally affectionate and her first instinct is to want to bond with her human.” Gracey is dog-selective, which means that she would do very well in a home where she is the only dog, and has done well living with older children in the past. The Last Dog Rescue is a volunteer-run organization that was started approximately four years ago. As a whole, it depends almost entirely on foster homes to house their animals until their forever homes can be found. “There is a huge need for foster homes,” said Lacrisa Goetz, Assistant Director and Vice President of the rescue. “There are too many unwanted animals and not enough places for them to go.” These animals are like Gracey, who have been surrendered or in shelter environments for so long that they have difficulty adjusting to home life once they have been adopted. “If I’m honest, [fostering] can be tough,” Ms. Goetz said, “but in the process, you are saving a life. For these animals, having a place to go is the difference between life and death.” If you are interested in Gracey or want to meet the fostering needs of The Last Dog Rescue, please visit www.thelastdogrescue.org for more information.
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