Abby Was Abused And Left To Die In The Desert. Thanks To The Love Of One Family, Her Life Is Now Spectacular

puppies
October 20, 2017

Abby is a gorgeous Golden Retriever living with her beloved family in Southern California. She loves to nap in the grass, her head resting gently on her favorite toy, and she’s more than willing to dress up in funny costumes whenever the situation calls for it. She also adores spending time at the beach, swimming whenever she gets the chance. Her life with her doting family is what can only be described as perfect, but it wasn’t always that way.

Abby’s story, or as much as we know of it, began in the high deserts of California. The hot, dry deserts are no place for a long-haired, water-loving Golden Retriever to live, but that’s where she was nonetheless. She’d been abandoned there, left to die a horrible death by those who had promised to give her the best life. If the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles Rescue hadn’t stepped in to rescue her, she would have surely died of starvation, dehydration, heat stroke, or some horrifying combination of the three.

When they found Abby, she was extremely underweight, weighing only 42 pounds when she should have weighed around 60 pounds. She was suffering from one of the worst cases of fleas, ticks, and mange that the rescue volunteers had ever seen, and it was so bad that they had to shave her. Double-coated dogs should never be shaved because not only does it take away their ability to properly regulate their body temperature and leave them open to sunburn, their coats will never grow back the same. They were left with no options though, and in order to treat her properly, she had to be shaved.

When Abby had returned to physical health, she was placed up for adoption in the hopes that someone would be willing and able to help this skittish and terrified dog learn to trust again. One family was on the search for a new Golden Retriever to add to their family after the sad loss of their beloved Golden, Lucy, to cancer. When they first laid eyes on Abby, they knew she needed their help. When Abby approached the mother and sat near her, allowing her to touch her, the family knew she would be leaving there with them.

On Abby’s first night in her new home, she fell asleep with her head resting gently on her new father’s lap as if she knew she could trust them. Though Abby had been a stray, she’d been rather nomadic, never settling down in one place, and that was a tendency she carried with her into her new life. She would hide in the bushes of their yard, staying out there as often as she could. It took her months to slowly learn to accept her bed and toys as her very own. It took a year for her to allow her family to pet her while she took a treat.

It took four years for Abby to overcome the horrible past she’d endured, but now she is one of the happiest, most-outgoing dogs one will ever meet. She adores meeting new people and taking care of others. She’s confident in her love and her family, and knows no fear. Her love knows no bounds, and it’s all thanks to one family who was willing to put in the time to rescue a dog that no one else would. This amazing dog has come such a long way from being abandoned and left for dead, to being a cherished family member.

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