A rescue dog adopted as a puppy had the saddest of reactions after circumstances beyond anyone’s control led to her being returned to the shelter.
The plight of Maggie the 3-year-old pup first came to light when her carers at the Humane Society of Searcy in Arkansas posted an appeal to social media for help in finding her a new home.
It was the second time the shelter had been tasked with helping Maggie rebuild her life. “At six months old, Maggie was first brought in as a stray by animal control,” a spokesperson for the Humane Society of Searcy told Newsweek.
Maggie ended up being adopted by an elderly couple and, for a few years it seemed like she had found the forever home every shelter dog deserves. However, with their health failing, the couple were left with little choice but to move into assisted living, which would have made it difficult to give Maggie the care and attention she needed.
Humane Society of Searcy/Facebook
The decision to surrender her back to the shelter she had come from was not taken lightly. “Maggie’s parents loved her very much and were heartbroken to have to surrender her,” said the Humane Society of Searcy, adding that she was a wonderful dog and is used to being in the house.
It’s a decision that has impacted Maggie significantly with staff at the Humane Society admitting she “doesn’t understand where her family is or why she’s at the shelter.”
The hustle and bustle of a busy shelter can make for an intimidating atmosphere for any new arrivals. A 2006 study from the journal Physiology & Behavior found that during their first three days in a shelter environment, dogs had three times the level of cortisol in their system than normal household dogs.
Maggie’s heartbreaking response upon returning to the shelter suggests she experienced something similar. Given the circumstances surrounding her return, it’s not difficult to see why she.
“Maggie’s entire world was turned upside down,” the Humane Society of Searcy said. “She went from a calm home environment with people she knew to a loud, stressful, and busy environment full of strangers.”
During that time, the Humane Society reported Maggie spending worrying amounts of time “panting, whining, and pacing in her kennel.”
Humane Society of Searcy/Facebook
That was what motivated an appeal for help online in finding her a home. “She is rapidly declining in her kennel and is suffering from severe stress and anxiety,” the Humane Society of Searcy warned in a Facebook post appealing for help.
Good with kids albeit selective with other dogs, Maggie was also spayed, microchipped and heartworm negative, making her a great candidate for adoption.
“Maggie was thankfully adopted to a great family not too long after this post was made,” the Humane Society confirmed. “He’s been adopted to a local family with an older dog.”
It’s the happy ending Maggie deserved, but one that countless other dogs in the shelter system are still searching for. Many of them will have been surrendered, sometimes more than once, for reasons beyond their control.