Piper

Piper, a one-year-old American Eskimo, was brought to Helping Hands in September 2000 as a cruelty case because she had been abandoned in a back yard. She was dirty, matted and terrified and would not come near people. When I decided to give her a bath, she shook during the whole process. Since it was a warm, sunny day, after towel drying her, I took her outside to dry in the sunshine so she wouldn’t have to endure a blow dryer. She found a ball and actually started playing with it and then to my amazement, she came over and crawled into my lap. I decided to foster her and help her with her socialization skills, but I was concerned that she would be afraid of my outgoing dogs, but she immediately felt comfortable with them and enjoyed playing with them and their toys. Even though she fit right in with the dogs, she steered clear of John and was obviously afraid of him. After a few weeks it appeared that she would only bond with me, so John suggested that we had to adopt her because we were afraid that she would not adjust to another home. It took many months of patience on John’s part, but Piper eventually warmed up to him and now feels very comfortable with him. I was certain that she would learn to trust other people, but sadly that has not happened. Piper is almost six years old and she is outgoing, affectionate and quite content in her own little world at home.

Carol Stubbs

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