Dog Labelled "Broken" Finally Can't Stop Smiling After Being Rescued
Sanford the dog was once described as broken, but today he can barely stop smiling. The senior pup, now in foster care with Karen Velazquez, has gone from a painful rescue case to a cheerful companion who lights up every room he enters.
Before that turnaround, Sanford had been hit by a car, could not walk, and was found with a bullet wound in his right hind leg after animal control rescued him in April. He spent time in a small Dallas shelter with no medical care until a volunteer from a local rescue group stepped in and changed everything.
Now Sanford is settling into foster life, and his next chapter is still waiting to be written.
Sanford was taken to a small shelter in Dallas, Texas. He stayed there for a week and received no medical care during that time.
When a volunteer from a local rescue group saw Sanford at the shelter, she knew she just had to help.
“He was physically broken… and when the volunteer went to see him, he didn’t really make any effort to come and say hello,” Kerry Anechiarico, executive director of Dallas DogRRR, said.
“It’s almost like he had given up, and he was just waiting for his time to come.”
Sanford’s “broken” start echoes the matted cocker spaniel who got transformed after meticulous grooming: Horribly Matted Homeless Cocker Spaniel Becomes Three Pounds Lighter After Two Hours Of Meticulous Medical Grooming.
As soon as Sanford was placed into foster care with Velazquez, a huge change occurred.
“He came to my home on May 1, just a few days after he was released from the hospital,” Velazquez said.
“He has been all smiles ever since. I think the minute he came to my home, he realized he was in a safe place.”
Sanford, or "Sanfee," now spends his time going for walks, eating home-cooked meals, and playing with Karen's other dogs.
“He’s pretty much a normal dog for a senior of 10 years. He’s like the older gentleman that you see in a nursing home. He may be 95 years old, but he acts like he’s in his 50s.”
The goal now will be to find Sanford a forever home. “He’ll be a great family dog. He’ll get along with other dogs and all humans. He even does well with kids.”
“He’s the perfect companion dog that you can come home to.”
“He’ll wag his tail and greet you, and he’ll just keep you company for the rest of the day. He’s just a happy-go-lucky dog now.”
See how Stanford went from kennel bars to thriving in his foster home: Heartbroken Shelter Dog Begs For Adoption Through Kennel Bars.
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