I remember seeing Hope’s picture on the shelter’s site back in the spring in May 2010. I see many sad dogs but this one I just could not get out of my mind. She was a depressed soul with her head hanging down. Some dogs just seem to affect you more than others and this girl I knew felt like she had no reason to live. Her coat was in a horrible condition and matted and she was so very thin and life had not been too good to her.

I called my friend in Georgia and asked if I could pull her. At the time they had named her “Polly”. The shelter workers said she was extremely depressed. Little did she realize that her life was about to change forever.

She arrived on transport and it was apparent that I had a very sick dog that needed medical attention right away. We pumped fluids into her as she was so dehydrated. She was diagnosed with pneumonia. The vet gave us antibiotics and said that she was a very sick dog and may not make it. As I held her head in my lap I decided then to name her “Hope”. I told her that I didn’t bring her all the way up her from Georgia so that she could die. I sat with her day and night holding her head up so that she could get a drink or eat because she was too weak to do it on her own.

Hope is a survivor. She taught me something about the spirit of an animal. All that she needed was for someone to show her they cared and she has thrived.

Today she is just a beautiful dog with a sparkle in her eye and a tail that wags non-stop. She never meets a stranger and leaves an impression to all that meet her. Because she has touched me so deeply I decided to name this rescue after her. As proof that with just a little love and kindness we can change the lives of these dogs and to give them “Hope."