A Gentle Giant Needs Your Help
HART recently got an urgent request from a local shelter to help with a dog that was in very bad shape due to horrific human neglect and cruelty. HART named this gentle giant Atlas for the strength and perseverance he showed in what he endured.
Atlas was an outside dog his whole lonely life. At eight years of age, Atlas probably never knew the warmth of a home or even the comfort of dry bedding. We suspect that he never felt the kind touch of a person. As awful as this is, his plight got much worse over the winter.
After getting neighbors reports about a starving dog, animal control officers arrived at the property but the dog was nowhere to be found. Once the officers left, another call came in concerning the starving dog. Further investigation by animal control revealed a small, filthy and overgrown enclosure. What they saw inside the enclosure was an emaciated dog, unprotected from the elements. Even though he was so weak that he could barely stand, he still responded gently to the kind touch of the officers. They felt that this poor dog knew they were there to save him.
The "human's" explanation to the officers as to why the dog was starving was simply that, given the snow, he "could not reach the enclosure where the dog was as the bamboo surrounding the dog pen fell over". He told the officers that he could not get to the pen or the dog during the winter snow but proudly proclaimed that "every few days" he would "throw food in the direction of the pen".
Atlas was seized on March 30, starving and weak and yet the storms started in late December and ended mid-February. For months Atlas endured the snow and cold. Even after the snow was gone, his "owners" fed him only enough food for minimal survival. They fed him only "every few days..."
Through all of his suffering and solitude, Atlas amazingly maintained a wonderful and gentle spirit. He is now in a loving foster home and he is housetrained, polite and getting used to a crate. Unfortunately, he has been isolated from other animals for years so it will take time to re-introduce him. Atlas will need extensive vetting and rehab to gain strength.
Please consider
sponsoring Atlas! Remember, your donation is tax deductable. If you prefer not to fill out a Sponsorship form, simply click the PayPal button below and enter the name and dedication you'd like listed on the website (or Anonymous) in the "Instructions for HART" field.
Help us help Atlas and all the other dogs and cats out there that so deserve another chance at life!
At the top is a picture of Atlas when we first got him. On the left is how he is just after a couple of weeks with HART.
Update 4/24/10: We wanted to pass along this email from Jill, Atlas's foster. Given all Atlas has gone through in his life, this it is a real testament to his spirit and disposition:
"Atlas is doing great. He loves to be around other people and other animals. I don't think he has a mean bone in his body which is getting stronger and stronger. As far as the crate--well--he sleeps on my bed and has the roam of the house during the day--the crate is just not his thing--it seems to scare him and I just cannot do that to him. He is a wonderful dog that someone would be very lucky to adopt."
Update 5/4/10: We wanted to let you know that Atlas is doing great. He was all bones when we got him, but is doing much better now and gaining weight each day. His foster sent this the other day and we wanted to share it with you all:
"Yes, I have had him around other dogs and cats and he is just so gentle. He just wants to play with them - he loves people and children. They come up and pet him and there is no problem except he gets so excited that sometimes he might jump up on them to lick them."
Thank you to those of you that have donated already. We appreciate your continued help and support!
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