I foster dogs for our local animal shelter, and Sheba originally came to me as a foster dog. She is part Rottweiler and they didn’t have a place to keep her. After one look into her eyes I knew she wasn’t leaving my house – it was love. However, I had no idea of the work this love would involve me in over the next several months.
When I got Sheba she was between six and eight months old and weighed about 50 pounds. She was so scared of people she would roll over and wet herself when you reached down to her. She wasn’t housebroken and it took us four months to trust her not to mess on the floor. She would tear up things when left by herself. She was so scared she would stick to me like glue, and sometimes would even hold onto me with her paws so that I wouldn’t leave her.
Sheba is now about two and a half years old and weighs about 93 pounds. With love and patience she has become the cleanest dog I have ever seen. At 15 months old she became totally trustworthy when left alone in the house.
But the best part of this story is how she acts towards my other foster dogs – she really is their hero. For the pups, she is like a surrogate mother, sleeping beside them and protecting them by putting her body between them and other dogs. For the young dogs, she is a teacher. Whenever I get a young dog who is not housebroken, she helps me train them. She goes outside with them, waits for them to go, then shows them the way back to the door. She also makes them feel at home by teaching them how to play. She gets a pull-toy and sticks it in a young dog’s mouth until the dog takes it. If the other dog gets too rough she pokes it with her nose as if to say, Settle down now, and then starts the game over.
I cannot believe how much easier she has made dog fostering for me. By making my foster dogs more comfortable around other dogs, she helps them become well adjusted and more adoptable. In doing this she has helped to save a lot of dogs and puppies. I couldn’t have done half as much without her – together we have fostered over 20 dogs and pups.
Sheba is my superdog, best friend and partner in rescuing, training, and rehoming abandoned dogs. She means everything to me and I love her more every day. She is one of the smartest dogs I know. So, next time you are looking for a dog, I want you to consider shelter dogs. You never know when you will find a dog as great as mine – a real diamond in the rough who has turned out to be priceless.

Author: Jo-Ann Livingstone
Country: Canada
True story: Yes
Rating: 1 paw down
Vote: Vote up Vote down

Previous story: PHYLLIS GETS HER WAY | Back to story list | Next story: The Rabbit that never gave up.

Back to story list