Mattie

Mattie was dumped at a shelter with her five puppies. The pups were pulled by another rescue but Mattie was left. She spent over a month in the shelter. A volunteer worked diligently to try to find her a place to go because she thought Mattie was too sweet and didn't deserve to die. On the day Mattie was scheduled to be killed, the shelter volunteer pulled her out and got her to a temporary safe place. Despite the fact that we already had one foster, we couldn't leave her, so we brought her home to live with us. Oh, she was so sad those first days; her eyes reflected such a depth of sadness. Yet, she was so sweet and so willing to open herself up to the love we gave her.

Mattie has shown herself to be a truly wonderfully resilient dog...she's friendly to both people and dogs, she's tolerant as only a mother can be as Adam climbs all over her. I wonder if she is thinking of her pups as little Adam crawls and sits on her, and licks her mouth.

Mattie will stand as still as a statue as long as someone's hand is on her petting her. Seems she cannot get enough affection. And she doesn't mind sitting in our laps. Sometimes she'll settle down and sleep...and sometimes she jumps down and goes elsewhere to sleep. It makes me wonder about her past...what living situation did she come from? Was she an outdoor pet? Or indoor? When she first came here, she readily jumped up onto the sofa and chairs, like she was accustomed to using furniture for lounging. And she is completely housetrained which makes me think she's been a house dog. So if she was a house dog....and even if she wasn't a house dog... how could her family just abandon her in the night-deposit of the shelter???

Mattie loves to learn new things, especially when treats are involved! She's eager to learn and very attentive. Since she's getting only limited amount of food due to her weight-loss plan, treats or food of any sort causes great excitement and willingness to do *anything*. I love a food-motivated dog!

It's been so nice seeing Mattie come out of her sadness and embrace life! She can get down-right excited at times...jumping-in-the-air and doing-a-dance excited. This is how life should be for all dogs.