When John Hawng first noticed a 10-year-old terrified shelter dog huddled up in a corner of her enclosure, he didn’t think she would want his attention or affection. She immediately surprised him though, and now sweet Annabelle has won the hearts of everyone she’s encountered.
After Hwang visited Annabelle at the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter, he made a Facebook post about her with a few heartbreaking pictures, and people immediately began sharing her story, hoping to help find someone who could pull her out of the shelter. Annabelle was scared but still had so much love to give, and clearly just needed to right person to give her a chance.
And not long after Hwang posted on Facebook, someone finally did.
A volunteer with Leashes of Love Rescue, Inc. saw the post about Annabelle and immediately knew she had to help. She told staff at the rescue about Annabelle, and the next day they put a hold on her. The following day, they finally went to meet Annabelle and take her away from the shelter forever, and the sweet senior dog was so overjoyed to finally be out of her lonely enclosure.
“She was so excited and loving,” Taunya Huffman Henley, president of Leashes of Love Rescue, told The Dodo. “She has a calm energy and loves to be held. When she gets excited she spins in a circle.”
Annabelle was quickly taken to the vet, who unfortunately determined that she wasn’t in the best of shape. She has a tumor on her head, an eye infection, dental issues and a skin irritation, and she’s currently receiving treatment for all of these issues.
Annabelle is now resting and recovering in her foster home and loving every minute of it. For the first day and a half in her new home, she slept right next to her foster mom and refused to move unless her foster mom took her outside or offered her food. She has a few doggie foster siblings, whom she’s slowly getting used to, day by day.
“She doesn’t play with them much, as she is adjusting to her new surroundings, but little by little she is mixing in,” Huffman Henley said. “We believe that once we get all of her vetting done she will feel much better. Her foster mom works from home so she mostly sits on her lap and wants to be carried everywhere.”
Annabelle went from being barely noticed in a big shelter to having lots of people who love and dote on her all day long, and she couldn’t be happier about it. She may be a senior pup, but she still has so much love to give, and can’t wait to find her forever home and a family to give all of that love to.
If you’re interested in adopting Annabelle or donating to her care, you can contact Leashes of Love Rescue for
