Success Series - Blossom

Welcome to another installation of our Success Series! Every Friday for the next several weeks we will post the story of a pet who has found their forever home through HSEC. If your animal was adopted from HSEC and you want them to be featured on the blog, contact us here: humanesocietyofec@gmail.com

Blossom

At arrival

When Blossom first arrived at HSEC with her litter of three puppies, she was in desperate need of care. This devoted mama had given everything to keep her pups nice and fat, leaving her extremely thin and with a variety of skin conditions. We don't know much about her past, except that she was found living on the street, but we believe that she may have spent her young life having back-to-back litters. She was also very nervous around people. Her experiences around humans had not been positive, and during her time as a stray we think she was sometimes harassed or had objects thrown at her.

After some much-needed care and recovery

In addition to these issues, Blossom is a pit bull mix, a breed that is commonly maligned and misunderstood. She also needed a home without other dogs. Despite her bad beginnings in life, this girl was a true lady, sweet, friendly, and shy. We all loved her, but we knew that it would take some very special people to welcome her into their home.

During her long stay at HSEC, Blossom put on weight and recovered from her other health problems. She also spent some time in foster care with a reliable and frequent HSEC foster family, where it became clear that her fear issues would take a lot of patience and love to overcome. Foster care helped Blossom substantially. But she needed a permanent home.

Adopters of difficult-to-place animals are very special to those of us who work and volunteer in the animal welfare world. Some HSEC residents stay at the facility a long time. But when their families finally come to claim them, we know why they have waited so long. They were just waiting for their perfect match to come along. And while we fretted and worried about Blossom's future, she waited patiently for her family to arrive.

Blossom on the day of her adoption

Dan and Ashley-Anne first took Blossom on as a foster. The couple had been considering dog ownership for a while, but they weren't certain if this responsibility would fit well into their lives. In time, though, it became clear that their home was where Blossom was supposed to be. We call this a "failed foster", but this adoption was anything but a failure.

Today, Blossom is flourishing in her new life. She loves her treats and sleeping on a big bed and getting to meet all of Ashley-Anne and Dan's interesting friends. Slowly she is overcoming the issues of fear and shyness that have kept her back. And now this mother who gave everything is finally having her own opportunity for care and nurture.

When she came to us, Blossom was a bud that hadn't yet opened. And as she continues to grow in her forever home, we can finally see the beautiful flower inside. It can be hard to work with homeless animals. Amidst the sea of need, it can be difficult to remember why we got into this in the first place.

Blossom is why.