When Suzette Hall saw pictures of a shaggy stray dog earlier this month, her heart sank to her stomach. As founder of Logan’s Legacy 29, Hall has saved countless matted dogs in the past, but this poor girl was different. Not only was she covered from head to toe in dirt-laden mats, but she was also sporting a coat that Hall worried could be hiding something far worse.
“[She was] dirty, matted, terrified and wearing a jacket,” Hall wrote on Facebook.
It’s unclear how the dog got there or how long she’d been fending for herself. But her knotted, packed-down fur suggested she’d been on her own for a while. Thankfully, she had a group of concerned homeowners trying to care for her.
While the dog was wandering around the neighborhood, the group of Good Samaritans ensured she had regular access to food and water. But the sweet pup immediately gravitated towards one person in particular.
“[T]here was one special girl she seemed to really bond with,” Hall wrote.
One of Hall’s fellow rescuers, Jan Jordan, rushed to help the abandoned dog. As soon as she found the pup, Jordan did everything she could to earn her trust. Luring the dog wasn’t as difficult as expected, and Jordan quickly slipped a leash over her neck. But the dog had an unexpected reaction.
“[The] sweet girl just froze,” Hall wrote. “She wouldn’t move. She wouldn’t get into the car. All she wanted was to go back to the house where the girl had been showing her kindness.”
The scared pup eventually bolted from Jordan’s grasp and returned to her hiding spot, where no one could find her. Regretfully, the rescuer returned home that night without the dog, but Hall refused to give up on her.
Hall and another rescuer, Mary Nakiso, drove to the neighborhood the next day, hoping to save the dog. When they arrived, they learned that the pup had broken through a fence overnight, trying to return to her favorite girl’s house.
They rushed to the girl’s house and found the sweet pup in her yard.
“[T]here she was … waiting where she felt safe,” Hall wrote.
Hall and Nakiso moved in on the dog, eventually getting close enough to slip a leash over her neck. They expected the dog to shut down in fear again, but instead, she had the opposite reaction.
“[T]he moment we did, her little tail started wiggling,” Hall wrote. “Like she finally knew she didn’t have to survive anymore.”
Rescuing the dog, whom Hall named Darla, was bittersweet. On one hand, the rescuers were thrilled to get Darla off the streets and into a safe environment. But they were sad to have to separate her from the girl she’d grown close to. And they were equally devastated for her when they removed her jacket and realized what was beneath it.
“[O]ur hearts sank,” Hall wrote. “Underneath it was terrible, terrible skin … raw, bleeding, infected. Her poor little body has clearly been suffering for a long time.”
Darla’s matted fur and inflamed skin were some of the worst Hall had ever seen. Later at the animal hospital, the sweet pup received a medical haircut, in which her fur was shaved as close to the skin as possible, and she was placed under anesthesia for her infected ears to be cleaned.
“Her tiny body had been carrying so much pain,” Hall wrote on Facebook. “I can only imagine how miserable she must have felt out there all alone.”
After the wounds on her back were cleaned and treated, Darla’s demeanor began to change. She felt relieved not carrying the weight of her matted fur anymore, and with the constant love and care she was receiving from the veterinary team, she finally started to feel better.
It’s been over 10 days since Darla was rescued, and the sweet girl is doing better than ever. The wounds on her back are nearly healed, and she is feeling more like herself every day.
It won’t be long before the sweet girl is ready for adoption, and Hall hopes to find her the perfect family soon. Until then, Darla’s loving caretakers will keep reminding her just how strong and loved she is.
“[S]he survived. She made it,” Hall wrote. “And now we’re going to make sure she gets every single thing she needs to heal.”
