Homeless Person Surrendered Dog; Kind People Want To Help Both
WILMINGTON, DE — The sad plight of Sky, a rail-thin, flea-infested dog with a heartbreaking note attached to her collar, is exposing the goodness and kindness of strangers — toward abandoned dogs like her, but also toward down-on-their-luck people who live on the streets.
After the blue and white chocolate dipped dog is fattened up some, gets the all-clear from veterinarians and spends time with a foster family, she will be ready for adoption, according to the staff at the Delaware Humane Association in Wilmington, where she was found wandering last week with a note explaining how she came to be there.
Helping out Sky’s owner is proving more difficult.
The letter inside a bag attached to Sky’s collar — an oversized, spiked harness that may have fit the emaciated dog at one point — revealed what had to be a gut-wrenching decision by the dog’s owner.
“Please take care of Sky,” it read. “She is 6 years old and friendly. I couldn’t take care of her, I became homeless and couldn’t feed her. She is not sick just hungry, very friendly. Please find her a home. Please.”
Another dog at the Delaware Humane Association’s Wilmington facility began barking with alarm on Jan. 2 and alerted the staff to the underweight, forlorn looking dog, “one of our most heartbreaking souls yet,” the group wrote on Facebook.
“While we have all the questions in the world, we are just thankful this sweetheart made it to us before it was too late,” the group wrote on Facebook. “We can’t imagine this was easy for her former owner, so please refrain from expressing any negative thoughts you may have.”
If people harbored ill will toward Sky’s owners, they kept it to themselves on Facebook.
“My heart goes out to her owner,” Nena Brown wrote. “I know it’s tearing him/her apart right now. Looks like they just recently became homeless. You don’t know anyone’s situation. Homeless men and women care more about their animals than they do themselves. They did an amazing and very very hard thing and decided to give her a better life. So to the person who made this decision I praise you and I pray for you in this sad time. I hope things get better for you. She’s a beautiful girl!”
Others made similar comments, and their desire to help wasn’t just limited to the dog.
Michelle Shockley reached out to Sky’s owner, saying she would be happy to help both the dog and the person take care of medical needs, food and clothing.
“If you are not already worked into the system, I will assist you on every step,” Shockley wrote. “Knowledge begins the process to empowerment.”
Bobby Nichols liked that idea and suggested a crowdfunding campaign to help Sky’s owner start over. “This story is heartbreaking and I’m sure it will gain traction and we could really make a difference for someone,” Nichols wrote.
“I want to help her but I wish we could help her former owner to get back on their feet and reunite them,” Erin Hass wrote. “This one hurts.”
After a visit to a homeless shelter Saturday, the Delaware Humane Association doesn’t have any leads on who might have owned Sky. Officials plan more visits in the coming days, and if Sky’s owner reaches out, “we will take the appropriate steps if someone steps forward,” the group said.
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In the meantime, anyone who wants to help get Sky back on her feet can donate via Facebook — just make sure to note “Sky’s the Limit” on the donation to ensure the gift goes to her. Another way to help get Sky on the road to good health is to donate to the Delaware Humane Association’s Amazon Wishlist to have items such as Sensitive Skin & Stomach dry and wet dog food and other enrichment items shipped directly to the shelter.
The pit bull terrier mix weighs about 30 pounds and is about 20 pounds underweight, Kerry Flanagan Bruni, the director of animal care at the shelter, told The News-Journal in Wilmington.
“It appears just to be that she wasn’t being fed the proper amount,” Flanagan Bruni said, but added she’s “very sweet, very friendly” and socializes well with other dogs.
Because she arrived covered in fleas, veterinarians are checking to see if she suffers from conditions like tapeworms or anemia.
The shelter is currently accepting adoption applications and will begin interviewing families on Tuesday. Applications are due Jan. 10 and may be found here.
All photos courtesy of the Delaware Humane Association, used with permission