Shasta Failed Service Dog Training Because Of Her Health. Thanks To That Training, She Was Able To Save Her New Mom

puppies
October 25, 2017

Shasta is a gorgeous Black Lab who lives with her parents in Southern California, where she is doted on! Shasta is a beloved family member whose owners can’t imagine life without her! Shasta, or Princess Shasta as her parents call her, is a brilliant girl who knows a wide variety of commands! While she enjoys performing for her family, she loves to curl up with her soft toys at the end of the day to relax. Her life wasn’t always full of soft toys and love, however.

Shasta’s story, as we know it, began in an Orange County, California, animal shelter where she waited on death row. Due to overcrowding, this sweet pup was going to be euthanized to make room for other dogs who also needed homes. Thankfully, a local rescue picked her up and took her to the local Juvenile Hall to work with a trainer. The hope was that learning some simple commands would help her in the quest to find a perfect home!

When Shasta excelled at the basic commands and showed how affable her temperament was, they decided that this pup would be perfect as a Service Dog! Shasta was moved to the Chino Women’s Prison where she started training to become a Service Dog for an autistic girl with disabilities. She was doing amazingly well in training, and it began to look as if she would be going home with a great family who would need her help!

Sadly, that dream would all come crashing down one day in the middle of her Service Dog training. A routine veterinary check found that Shasta was suffering from a thyroid disease that made her ineligible to be a Service Dog. With the thyroid disease, she was going to require medical help from her owners, which would interfere with her ability to care for them. They completed her training and began to search for a home where she would be loved and cherished, but not required as a Service Dog.

Shasta was adopted by a loving couple who were looking for a dog to join their family. It was love at first sight for the three of them, and there was no going back. Shasta’s new momma kept up on her training, but she was finally at home where she was a beloved pet. The family soon began to find it unimaginable to consider a life without their best friend.

Tragedy struck the family in the shape of a bilateral mastectomy for Shasta’s new mommy. Shasta was well-prepared for this with her Service Dog training and was more than ready to help her momma as she recovered. Shasta was able to help her new family, just like they’d helped her in the beginning. It’s safe to say that this family was meant to be, and Shasta was meant to meet them when she did.

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