August is “Clear the Shelters” month, and there likely has never been a more daunting time for those seeking to ensure every animal has a forever home. COVID-19 has made it difficult financially for many people to bring another mouth to feed into their lives, and you would think shelters everywhere would be overflowing. Part of the problem few talk about it is the number of abandoned pets, mostly dogs, that are being either turned into shelters or simply left to beg and die on the streets. The entire thought is more than a little gut-wrenching for anyone with a heart.
Which is why stories such as these are so important to note. In the darkness of the pandemic, stories are emerging from across America about people turning to and actually emptying a number of shelters. COVID-19 has created a lot of depression and loneliness at every level, and people are finding there is nothing like that furry companion to brighten the days, even just a little bit.
Brooklyn had been in the Hamilton Township (NJ) Animal Shelter and Adoption Center for seven years. Think about that. For you and me, seven years doesn’t seem like much. For Brooklyn, that’s more than half her life. While she has been helped along by a foster Dad, she never had a place to call her own.
Until now.
There’s not much to the story, just a 15 second blurb on local TV news and a social media post. However, there she is with her new family. She’s going HOME, the first one she has known in a very long time.
Animals such as Brooklyn know change when the see and experience it. They know the difference between being in a cage over being in a home. They are social and experience emotions in so many ways. In essence, they are just like children. All they need is a little love, a warm place to lay their head, and the knowledge someone is there for them. That’s not a lot to ask, and in this time of so much need among us all, stories like this make me believe there is indeed hope for a society that at times seems so cold.
Find your new friend at a shelter. The love you get in return will be unconditional and wrap you in it’s arms so tight, you will never want to let go.
Thank you to everyone who ensures that dogs like Brooklyn can be safe and sound for the rest of their lives.
Good girl.