Rita’s story began with a family that relocated and abandoned their dogs on Leather wood road in Slayden.
Momma Rita had been wandering around for almost a decade, proving elusive and reappearing in the same area after long absences. She was easily recognized by the community due to the fact that somewhere in her years on her own, one of her legs sustained an injury and she stopped using it completely. She has given birth to numerous litters, which have been discovered and taken to rescues or given homes. Last summer, we took in one of these many litters.
We received a call about a group of puppies living in a drain pipe, unapproachable and feral. They were nearly 3 months old at this point, and had never interacted with humans. With support from some shelter friends, Animal control managed to capture all the puppies from this litter. The mom, who we have now named Rita, eluded capture. Despite efforts to trap her in the following weeks, Rita soon disappeared without any further sightings.
Fast forward to a few months ago, we were alerted to a feral mother dog with a hurt leg has given birth in the woods nearby where we got Rita’s last litter from, and they were getting close to the road causing concern for their safety from traffic. We suspected it was Rita resurfacing, but didn’t get excited until we investigated ourselves.
We were contacted with a confirmed location where mom, pups, and an adult male where all spending their time. The description of mom matches Rita to a T, and the adult male is identical to the litter we received last year, so we know he is either from this group of one before that was unable to be rescued. Both of the adults were covered in hundreds of fleas and ticks. They were scared, confused, and hungry. With their location confirmed, and permission from the property owner, the litter of six puppies were secured and brought to our facility, and we set up our large live traps, praying we would catch the other two.
Momma Rita was successfully captured in our live trap! Two wonderful volunteers accompanied one of our staff to safely contain and transport her, and she was brought to the shelter where she is now safe and warm. Rita showed excitement when seeing staff, wagging her tail slightly, and allowing multiple staff members and volunteers to show her affection.
Rita has been fully vaccinated, dewormed, and given flea/tick prevention.
Rita received a 4DX test and tested positive for Eurlichea, but negative for everything else, the Eurlichea explained her not being able to use her leg.
She was treated, and is now able to walk/ run around with no issues.
Rita, a timid and reserved dog, continues to struggle with her shyness when it comes to interacting with humans. Despite her reluctance to approach people, there is a glimmer of hope in her behavior when she is leashed. When she is on a leash, Rita's demeanor changes slightly as she begins to show signs of trust and affection. A small but meaningful gesture, Rita will tentatively wag her tail when offered pets and attention. This moment of connection is a breakthrough for Rita, as it indicates a willingness on her part to engage with humans and form a bond. While she still has a long way to go in overcoming her shyness, these small steps of progress are encouraging and show that Rita has the potential to become more comfortable and open with time and patience.
She gets along well with all dogs of all sizes.
She is spayed.
She will need a fenced in yard.
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