Adoption Success Stories

There are thousands of abandoned, abused and neglected dogs wandering the streets of Puerto Rico -- they call them "Sato" in Spanish. Thanks to people like you who support our Sato Rescue Program, dogs like Sheba are given a second chance at life. Your gift helps bring these homeless dogs to our shelter where we find them loving forever homes. Please help us continue this program now!

Sheba is just one of the many Sato dogs who found their way to Northeast Animal Shelter and their forever homes. Here is Sheba's story ...

Sheba

Floris, a care worker for Save-a-Sato, Northeast Animal Shelter's sister organization in Puerto Rico, was driving a friend to visit the sites of Old San Juan when she spotted Sheba foraging for food in the grass. Floris noticed right away that this little dog was injured. At first Sheba was cautious and unsure of Floris' intentions, but her fear eventually gave way as she followed Floris into the car. Sheba had no way of knowing that in placing her trust in Floris, she also took her first step towards a new life.

Sheba was taken to a vet's office where it was determined that her injuries probably came from being tangled in barbed wire. The vet suggested that Sheba spend two months in foster care with Floris...giving her body time to recover and her heart time to heal. And then hopefully, she would be able to make her journey to Northeast Animal Shelter.

The day finally came that Sheba was healthy enough to make the trip and her arrival at our shelter was full of promise...we were confident that we could find her a forever home in a very short time. However, despite the fact that Sheba's physical injuries had healed, her life on the streets left her with some unhealthy behavioral problems. Sheba was warm and loving towards people, but turned aggressive and defensive around other dogs. Knowing she needed help, we invested in professional training.

We followed the trainer's advice to the letter, tending to Sheba's regimen of walks and training sessions. And just as the trainer had suggested, Sheba began to demonstrate the trust we so hoped she would.

Then, several weeks after we began working with Sheba, a woman named Johnna came into the Shelter looking to adopt a dog. We told her all about the long road Sheba had taken from Puerto Rico, her loving nature, and about the careful training it would take to reinforce the good habits that she had developed.

Johnna was uncertain at first, but when she looked into Sheba's eyes she knew she'd found a match. Just a short time after adopting Sheba, Johnna wrote to us. As we opened the letter and started reading, we held our breath.

One morning Johnna's parrot, Zoro, decided to fly down out of his cage and land right next to the snout of little Sheba who sat by her new Mom's side. Johnna froze, uncertain of what Sheba would do. Much to Johnna's delight Sheba jumped up and gave Zoro a kiss! Sheba's spirit had finally recovered.

Sheba had many angels helping her transform from a fearful street dog in Puerto Rico to a loving member of Johnna's family. We count you among those angels. With your help, Northeast Animal Shelter is able to go the extra mile for animals like Sheba... providing the care and resources they need to find a perfect forever home.

Past Success Stories:

Northeast Animal Shelter
347 Highland Avenue, Salem, MA 01970
Phone: (978)745-9888
Monday - Friday: 10am - 8pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10am - 6pm