A dog who was surrendered after eight years with his family was so shut down that he wouldn’t leave his kennel—But then he met someone new, who showed him how beautiful the world can be with the right people.
In a post shared on Facebook earlier in November, SPCA of Northern Nevada, the shelter that hosted the pup, Pi, for almost a year, showed the dog’s transition from a sad and lonely boy back at the shelter, to a happy, confident pup, living his best life while traveling all around the country.
A spokesperson for the SPCA told Newsweek that Pi was surrendered to them by his family because they could no longer care for him, and the change was so harsh on him that he completely shut down.
“He had some trauma in his past, including a dog attack, so he was very scared and shut down in our shelter. Sadly, shy/nervous/scared dogs tend to get overlooked in shelters,” she said.
SPCA of Northern Nevada
But then one day, a man called John Chmiola went in looking for companion, and changed Pi’s life forever, even though it wasn’t easy, and it took a great deal of time and effort to win the canine’s trust.
Chmiola told Newsweek that about a year after loosing his best friend, Bear, who saw him go through grad school and become an adult, he finally felt ready to open up his heart to another pup.
“It was initially hard to make a commitment, but I mulled it over. And then I saw Pi on the SPCA website. A few weeks/months go by, I became committed. And I started to casually very casually to look and think.
“The plan I came up with was to foster. Or at least just help. I spent a few weeks, maybe two or three, mulling and cruising the inter-webs and Pi was still there. I made casual visits around to just see and interact with other dogs and organizations. And then I made it to the SPCA where Pi was,” he said.
By that time, Pi had made some social progress after temporarily staying at a foster house that helped him gradually open up again. But he still wasn’t ready to trust.
“I remember the first day I met Pi,” said Chmiola. “I walked around the kennel section and saw tons of lovely dogs. There were treats to give them and directions about their loves and hates. There was an employee sitting on a blanket reading a book to a senior dog. Pi wasn’t there, though.
“I asked about him at the front desk, and there was hesitation. Someone needed to be found. I learned then and I definitely know now that Pi has his people. Yup, Pi bit me that day. But he was such a happy dog. Very uncomfortable, but excited to have a few treats and a very minor adventure with at least one person he liked.
“So I came back the next day, just to say hi, give him a few treats. He had been there so long and it felt like a good thing to just bang into the SPCA unannounced so Pi could leave his room and be with a stranger holding treats at least for a little.”
Chmiola kept visiting Pi day after day, until the pup finally decided it was safe to open up to him.
A caption shared with the heart-warming video says: “For weeks, he visited Pi daily to earn his trust. John walked and played outside with Pi, always following Pi’s lead. He even left personal items with his scent to earn Pi’s trust and form a bond.
“Finally, after weeks of steady dedication, Pi approached John and accepted a gentle pet. After 245 days of waiting, Pi found his person.”
Now Chmiola and Pi are inseparable, and they’re trying to do together all the things neither of them have ever done before. Their favorite hobby is currently traveling around the country in their RV, enjoying every single moment together.
“I wanted it and he deserved it. At 10, it wouldn’t be as fun if we waited. 32 states. Most north, most south, most east, most west. A whole bunch in the middle, mostly in the Rockies. Fishing, wrangling cattle, hiking around, making buddies.”
“I love catching Pi just gazing off at some perfect view. Wild when we step into a meadow and I catch Pi gazing at the vista. Smart that one. Holy moly the everything we saw together…” he added.
Remember Pi? A sweet dog who spent eight joyful years with his family until they could no longer care for him, ending up alone in a kennel. Heartbroken…
It’s estimated that over 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters each year, which is an average of 17,260 a day. While most of them are blessed with a new family, for some the trip to the shelter could be the last one.
In fact, around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year, usually due to lack of space in the facilities.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, when euthanasia is done in a sensible way, the pups are expected to lose consciousness within three to five seconds, but that is not always the case.
Some underfunded shelters still use gas chambers, which are small dark boxes often smelling of the dog before. It may take anywhere from a few minutes to almost half an hour for pups to lose consciousness in there, and sometimes, their organs start shutting even before it happens.
Thanks to the increasing number of people choosing to rescue pets instead of buying, the number of animals in shelters is slowly starting to go down, and so is the number of shelter euthanizations, but the problem is still far from being solved.
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 24,000 views and 980 comments.
One user, Jordyn Mahoney, commented: “Way to go John for taking your time and for giving Pi an incredible new life!”
Lisa Bade said: “What an amazing story of patience, love and knowing and waiting for your person.”
Christina Haxton added: “Congratulations Pi! I remember him from when I worked there and he was just such a sweet guy that needed the right person! Thank you for never giving up on him.”
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