If you’re looking to adopt a pet, remember that even animals that come from a tough situation deserve a chance at a loving home. That’s according to Starke County Humane Society Executive Director Shanna Lloyd.
When she first met her dog Merlin, it was in some difficult circumstances. “We had responded at the request of the Sheriff’s Department, to assist them with some animals that had been left behind after they had had a major drug bust,” she says. “The dogs were in really bad shape, and unfortunately, they had been very abused so we had to give them glucosamine for dogs for joint damage, and so these dogs took time, once we had them, to get them up to weight and to get them to trust people.”
Lloyd explains that Merlin was having a particularly hard time. “I put a lot of work into him and giving him time to trust me, and it took about a month for him to actually even just warm up to me,” she says. “And then, finally, he accepted the rest of the staff, but we were just never able, actually, to place him up for adoption because he was just so very fearful of most people.”
But she says she and Merlin were able to form a bond, and he’s since become a regular sight at the Starke County Humane Society. “This has been a journey with this dog,” Lloyd says. “He has been with me now for a couple of years, and he comes with me to the animal shelter every day as my best friend and my companion. And I got to take him home with me and let him know what it’s like to be spoiled and to be what a dog’s supposed to be.”
Lloyd says there’s a lesson here for anyone thinking about adopting a pet. “Dogs and cats that come into the shelter may or may not have a sad story such as his or the other dogs from that particular drug bust, but they need a chance, too,” she says. “They need someone to be patient and understanding with them, if they’ve had a bad experience, and to know that there is a diamond in the rough behind that timid exterior that you see.”
Lloyd adds the Starke County Humane Society currently has some animals who’ve had their adoption fees sponsored by caring individuals for Christmas. She invites people to stop by the shelter and check them out.
