When Sadie left the shelter in 2014, no one expected her to return. But she returned last month after her family abandoned her. Shortly after, Sadie was adopted again and brought back. Unfortunately, the story didn’t end there.
She was adopted and returned a week later. Sadie and her puppies were just a few months old when they arrived at the animal shelter in Harris County, Texas. Sadie was photographed by the staff and the dog was immediately adopted by a family. But this was not the forever family Sadie was looking for.
Harris County Animal Shelter employee Ashley Roberts was there when Sadie’s family abandoned her last month. Roberts told The Dodo: ,,Sadie was in a very small ball. I actually thought she was a found stray dog and that’s why she was so scared. She didn’t even seem comfortable with the people she was with.”
,,They mentioned something about Hurricane Harvey and said, We were thinking of keeping them.'” Roberts added. ,,But apparently they didn’t care about having to send her back to the shelter. The puppy’s picture emerged when an employee scanned Sadie’s microchip and searched her information in the system.
,,The employee couldn’t hold their tears back.” Roberts reported. ,,When she saw the original photo of her and now her return, she couldn’t take it at all. She was left at an animal shelter. There was a stark contrast between the confident puppy photo and the dog we were looking at. She was on the verge of tears. I was beforehand crying.
The following week, another family came to the shelter and wanted to adopt Sadie. At first everyone was very happy and thought Sadie’s misfortune was over. But Sadie’s new family also brought her back a week later. ,,I wasn’t there when she was abandoned the second time, but the new family reported that she had regular accidents at home.” Roberts explained. ,,We think she was so scared that she was peeing nervously.”
The team then shared Sadie’s photos on Facebook in the hope that she will soon find a better and permanent home. Shortly after, a young woman contacted the shelter and offered to take Sadie in for adoption.
,,We try to provide counseling and adoption assistance so that these animals and people have a better chance of success.” Roberts said. ,,And we specifically said that Sadie shouldn’t be around other dogs for at least a week so we could give her some space and time to heal. She’s been through a lot.” According to Roberts, for some reason the young woman didn’t listen to him.
,,It seemed well-intentioned and we thought it would work.” Roberts continues. ,,She took her home and said: ,,Oh, she’s fine. Bring your dog here.” she ordered her sister. Her sister then brought her dog and the dog attacked Sadie. By the fourth time Sadie was brought to the Harris County shelter, her neck was covered in bites.
,,It was all bad luck.” Roberts added. ,,I’ve never seen a dog come back so many times.” To help Sadie get back on her feet, shelter staff placed her with a Down South Rescue family.
,,Sadie is in the care of an experienced family.” Sharon Fanning, director of Down South Rescue, said to The Dodo. ,,She is still fearful and wary of others. However, she has developed a strong bond with her adoptive mother. It will take time for her to recover mentally and physically. And we will be very selective about who we give her to for adoption. Sadie is not currently available for adoption, but if she is adopted, Roberts hopes she will have the best possible home.
“She was very sweet at boarding school and I don’t think there was an ounce of cruelty in her.” Roberts added. ,,All we want is a home where he will be loved and have the time and energy he needs.”
Take some time for Sadie to send her lots of love and prayers!