A Dog Named Delta (Part 2 of 2)
Saturday, November 12, 2011
By: Nikki Harris

An NHS Adoption Success Story continued

I ended up fostering her in my home.  As it turned out, she was no where near food aggressive.  In fact, she really didn’t care about food.  She sure had other problems though!  The heartworm treatment left her tired, and she panted all the time.  She had pellets under her skin, which means she must have been shot at some time in her life. Having had several litters of puppies, she was in desperate need of being spayed.  She was on medication for her skin allergies, since a blood test listed three pages of food, plants and other things she was allergic to. She needed special food for the rest of her life and will battle these allergies forever.  Emotionally, she needed help as well:  she had been beaten.  I do not say this about animals often, because I work at an animal shelter and feel this is said more often than it is actually true.  I know the difference between lack of socialization and an animal who has been hit.  She has been hit.  She wasn’t scared of my hand, but if I had something in it (like a pen); she dropped to the floor, urinated and flinched, waiting for her beating.  What was I going to do with this dog?  I had my own pets to worry about!

Delta’s owner did not claim her, so I decided to adopt her.  She would have life-long issues who needed someone willing to deal with them; plus, I just loved her! Then, everything in my personal life changed.  I had to move out of my home, and I did the hardest thing I have ever had to do: I left all my pets except this messed-up Golden and 2 of my cats.   Working at an animal shelter and loving animals, I would never have imagined I could leave my pets.  I left them in capable hands, yet I missed them so much I ached—and still do.  Without Delta, this transition would have been much more difficult.  I take her everywhere with me.  She helps me teach obedience classes, helps temperament test dogs, helps train the inmates in our prison program, and helps socialize dogs who need a play mate.  The list of people and animals she has helped just keeps getting longer. She looks like a Golden now, with a fully-furred tail, legs and head.  She has gained almost 15 pounds, and she has absolutely no signs of aggression. She does not flinch or think she is going to be beaten anymore, which makes me very happy. She is very attached to me, and I am to her as well.  She may not be the perfect dog, but she is the perfect dog for me.  She came all the way from a hurricane to help me through the most difficult time in my life.   They say everything happens for a reason.  I believe that now.  In the end, Delta has saved me more than I have saved her.