Wheelchair Bound Rescue Dog Gets Stood Up By Prospective Parents
All dressed up with no place to go, wee Marshall had his hopes dashed when adoptive parents were a no-show. After enjoying a fun-filled "good-bye weekend" with staff, the little guy, left sitting on the road with all his worldly possessions, had to head back into the shelter and hope that maybe next time...
Let's face it, a disabled dog is a big undertaking and while our hearts are always in the right place, sometimes we can get a little too swept up in the good samaritan spirit. And that leads us to make promises we can't keep. In this instance, it was to a little dog that was wheelchair-bound and oh-so ready to settle into a stable family environment.
Only a week before the missed appointment, Marshall had a meet-and-greet that left everyone hopeful. The team at Save A Dog Scheme, a rescue in Melbourne, Victoria, believed someone had finally seen past his disability to the goofy, affectionate dog they had grown to love.
And it only got better for the perky pooch when staff, convinced his time in their care was ending, gave him one last big weekend of fun. Marshall visited the Glen Iris shelter, took in walks around Yarrambat, and soaked up all the attention being lavished on him, by his favorite people. He enjoyed a bath, was kipped out with a new wardrobe chosen especially for the life everyone believed was waiting.
All was carefully packed into a bag with his name on it (awww...) including his favorite foods, meds, and personal items. The cherry on top was a cheeky bow-tie that Marshall wore so he could look his very best when meeting his new family.
But tik-tok, tik-tok. After waiting for over an hour for a car that never arrived, the shelter crew ultimately brought their little charge back indoors and settled him into his kennel. Now, this breaks all our hearts, but methinks Marshall got a fabulous weekend out of it and as for those no-shows, he probably didn't even notice. Nor, clearly, were they the right family for him.
What's irksome is that the prospective parents didn't advise the staff of the change in plans. No call, text, or email to say they were reconsidering. For those considering adopting from a rescue, there's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on.
Now, the rescue did make it clear that sharing Marshall's experience was not meant to shame anyone. People are allowed to reconsider an adoption, especially when they realize an animal may not fit their family or circumstances.
The organization asks only for honesty. A quick phone call or message lets a shelter adjust its plans and, more importantly, keeps staff from preparing an animal for a new beginning that will not happen. Adoptions involve hours of paperwork, food, medications, and emotional preparation as staff steel themselves to say goodbye. This time, there was no goodbye at all. Just disappointment for the little guy.
But it was the image of wee Marshall shared online and waiting in his adorable bow tie that moved so many people. Messages, comments, shares, and even adoption applications poured in for this patient pooch.
Despite this influx of people cheering him on and enquiring about adding him to their family, the shelter won't be simply handing their now-famous resident over to the first available home. As a disabled dog with special needs, Marshall's future family must understand the added care, time, and patience involved, as well as have some relevant experience. Meet-and-greets remain essential, including introductions to any dogs already in a prospective home.
Somewhere there may still be someone who sees him exactly as his caregivers do — and until that day comes, he has all the time he needs to find the home where the next goodbye is finally the happy one. Hey, maybe he'll score another fun-filled weekend out of it!
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