On Sunday, November 14, someone callously and cruelty abandoned a dog in our parking lot. The person has since been found, and the case has been turned over to law enforcement for investigation. The dog is safe. But before we knew all of that, Dawn posted an open letter on behalf of the dog on our Facebook Page. That letter has circulated around the world having been shared nearly 16,000 times as of this writing. We have been asked to share the letter on our blog as well.
Thank you to all who care!
I’d like to address this post to the person who dumped a dog in our parking lot Sunday, November 14th at about 6pm. I know you saw your dog frantically running in front of your car as you tried to pull out. You saw her anxiously running in circles in the parking lot as you pulled out without her. But as you then drove off like nothing happened, your dog went through something that she just cannot comprehend and neither, frankly, can we.
It is illegal in New York State to abandon an animal. So what you did is against the law. But more importantly, it was truly a heartless act. What you didn’t see is that your dog panicked after you left. Our staff was leaving about that time, which we believe you knew. You probably thought that our staff would find her and rescue her and there would be a happy ending. But, sadly, she panicked and, scared out of her head, she ran away from everyone. We had to back off so that she wouldn’t go into the busy highway. We lost her in the dark. Several of us tried but we couldn’t find her and she ran off in her terror and confusion.
We do know that a while later, she took off down the highway in the direction where she watched your car go. She was trying to find you. It was dark and raining and cold. We could see cars pull over as people tried to catch her. But no one could. Luckily, at some point she came back here, hoping you’d be back for her. How she managed to avoid getting killed in the highway is a miracle. There was nearly a car accident as people tried to avoid her. But she made it back here to the farm again hoping she’d see you here.
She still would not let us near her. But she huddled up against a door, under an overhang, trying desperately to stay out of the rain. We managed to get food out to her and a blanket – even though she ran off again. We prayed she’d return to that doorway. And she did. As soon as she saw the blanket, she tucked herself in a tiny ball trying to get warm. We checked on her all through the night. She still would not let us near her. She was terrified and shivering. I cannot even begin to tell you how helpless we felt. And that helplessness slowly grew as the night went on.
I can tell you that while you left having done what you felt you needed to do, we spent hours trying to help your dog. I stayed up most of the night watching our security cameras in hopes that at first light we could talk her in and get her to safety. She stayed huddled on that blanket clinging for warmth all night. It is a testament to her intelligence. You see, your irresponsibleness suddenly became our responsibility and even though we couldn’t touch her or get her inside, we stayed with her the only way we could through the dark, cold, and snowy night.
At daybreak she stirred from her little nest. She heard a vehicle drive into our parking lot. It was a workman. I knew that. But I watched her as her ears perked up and she sat upright. Her momentary burst of joy and relief. You see, she thought it was you coming back for her. She broke into a run towards the parking lot. About two thirds of the way down, she slowed way down, watching. Then she stopped. Her ears went down, her tail tucked under her once again, and she ran off the opposite direction. It wasn’t you and again she panicked.
But your former dog is incredibly smart. She was scared. But she reached deep down inside and followed her heart. We had food out and she ate. And then she came to the door of our facility and stood at the door looking in. We opened the door and she very timidly stepped in. She had found safety. She is so incredibly lucky.
Today, we are trying to help her through her despair of being abandoned by you. She is devastated. She doesn’t understand what she did to deserve this. She has no idea where you went or why you left her behind. We have now picked up the responsibility you once had to care for her. We will see her through to whatever comes next for her. But we thought you’d like to know what happened after you left. Because somewhere we know there is a part of you that does care. If you can learn one thing from this, know that animals love unconditionally and without judgement. Their hearts are pure. And they assume ours are too. So the pain in discovering that isn’t always true is a devastating blow. She will learn to trust again. I hope you understand what you threw away. And I hope you learn to be more responsible with another’s heart in the future.
“I think it is important to dream. And it is not a waste of your time to spend time imagining and visualizing things. I love when people come sit in my room with me and my cat friends. If they are too much in their heads, it is not much fun. But when they let go and play with our cat toys and get silly, then they start to loosen up and we see the true human inside all the chaos. I love when humans make up games and play. You can feel them relax and become more creative and in their hearts. It’s my favorite thing to watch. I don’t think people see that about me. Because they have a notion that I’m not participating with them. But I’m just being peaceful. And peaceful is good. My advice? Play more. Dream more. And feel more peace. I hope you can find that for yourself.”
