Sophie's Story

Hello again,

So in the past I have talked about wildlife conservation, and even though that is a great way to help animals there are ways that you can help animals in your community as well. So today I want to tell you a story about a dog named Sophie.

Back in July I started to think about what I wanted for my birthday. I thought of a few things, but there was this one thing at the top of my list. That was to get a dog. I am an animal lover, obviously, so not having an animal in the house was really strange to me and made me feel like I was missing something.

But dogs are not cheap and I was really unsure if I was financially stable enough to afford everything it takes for a dog to have a good home. But still, I was determined to find a way.

So I contacted my local shelter, the Troy Animal Rescue Project, and told them my situation. They came out and looked at my apartment, saw that I had bought a crate, toys, and even had saved a few coupons for dog food. They then asked if I would be willing to foster a dog.

Foster a dog? This was the first time I had ever heard about this. They then explained to me that they would assign me a dog, or I could pick one out, and I would take him/her home with me until the dog got adopted. They told me that they would still pay for all medical bills, and transportation to the potential adopters, as long as I did the every day stuff. (Feeding, bathing, exercise, etc.)

Well that sounded like the perfect idea for me. Vet bills are not cheap, so with them covering it the price of having a dog gets cut in half, if not more. After doing a little paper work, it was time to pick a dog. We decided on a few dogs based on the dog personality, and how well we thought the dog might do living in an apartment.

The first dog that we chose was a blue pit bull named Raina, but by the time we were ready to move her to my house she got adopted. Which was even better. Then I was looking on the T.A.R.P. Facebook page and saw this cute little dog names Sophie.

(Sophie is a mix, but we think she has some black and tan coon dog in her.)

The day I went to pick Sophie up was an exciting and scary day. I had heard that Sophie was very nervous around a lot of people, especially African American males. Reason for that being is that she was extremely abused by her pervious owner who was an African American male.

She also gets nervous around a lot of people. So knowing this, and knowing that I have a lot of African American male friends, I was skeptical as to how well this foster relationship was going to go.

The first time I brought her to my house, she was too scared to walk up the stairs. So I sat down and waited for her to come to me and then I picked her up and carried her up two flights of stairs. (Workout for the day, Check!)

Once I had her in my apartment I let her sniff around the apartment and kind of get a feel for the place. After about an hour, she finally came back to me in the living room and just looked at me.

We kind of had a non-verbal conversation for a few minutes, and then Sophie climbed on to the couch next to me and put her head in my lap. This was when I knew that Sophie was not going to be just a foster dog. But I still wasn’t sure that I could afford having a dog full time.

After about three days of having Sophie, she had two families who were interested in meeting and potentially adopting her. When we went to visit the families, Sophie was terrified. She hid behind me, and wouldn’t let anyone but me touch her. Sophie is by no means aggressive, but she would try her hardest to avoid any contact with anyone but me.

After seeing those two families I decided that I could not let Sophie go. We had already bonded so much in a short amount of time, that I saw it as a sign. She was not the dog I thought I wanted, but she was definitely the dog I needed.

Today, Sophie is spoiled rotten. We are still working on her being nervous around new people and other dogs, but she has come such a long way.

The moral of this story is that no matter where you are in the world, you can make an impact. It can be internationally by donating time or money to wildlife conservation, or it can be locally by adopting or fostering a dog from your local shelter. It doesn’t matter what you can give, or how much you give, because every penny and minute counts.

To find out more information about the Troy Animal Rescue Project and the dogs that need your help you can follow them on their Facebook

Troy Animal Rescue Project Facebook

If you do not live in Troy, but would still like to adopt an animal you can go the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) website to find a shelter near you, as well as other ways you can help.

ASPCA Website

Hope you enjoyed Sophie's story.

May The Great Spirit bless you,

Sarah Graham