by Lee Juslin

Born in the Bronx in New York City in a low income district, Sadie had a rough start. She was passed around to several families who did not have the financial means or the knowledge to get her even basic care.

One day Sadie, who was just under two, was turned in to a pet supply store in the neighborhood. Perhaps the young woman who brought her in thought here was an animal related store that would take her in and care for her. The store manager kept her overnight but then, thinking because she was so sweet natured she would be easily adoptable, turned her into the local animal shelter the next morning. Shelters in New York City, like many urban areas, are crowded and do not adopt out animals with no vet vaccination records and with an infected bite, as Sadie had, on her neck. Sadie was put on death row.

Sadie in quarantine

When the Greater NY/NJ Scottie Rescue group heard about Sadie, they applied to pull her from the shelter. Because Sadie had no vaccination records and therefore might have rabies, the shelter refused to give up Sadie and said she would have to be euthanized. The New York City Dept of Health concurred. Erica and Judy, rescue volunteers, fought with the authorities on Sadie’s behalf. Finally, the shelter told them, they would release her to an approved rabies quarantine shelter.

A kennel that met the quarantine requirements was found in upstate New York, but then more roadblocks were put in the way of Sadie’s adoption. The shelter required letters from the kennel stipulating they would accept and quarantine Sadie, from the NY County where the kennel was located and from the vet used by the kennel. Sadie remained on death row. She wasn’t out of the woods yet, and, to make matters worse, she had developed kennel cough. She was a very sick pup and time was running out.

Sadie on death row

Meanwhile three volunteers spent a day posting flyers throughout the Bronx neighborhood asking for information on Sadie. Amazingly, the woman who had turned her in to the store, saw the flyer and called. Unfortunately she knew little about Sadie’s background, had no vaccination records and said she had gotten her from a man on Craig’s List who claimed she was up to date on vet care. The woman had gotten her as a playmate for her Yorkie. The rescues guessed this was where the bite came from. Erica, rescuer in chief, contacted Craig’s List trying to get to the original listing, but Craig’s List refused to help.

Now a new worry: could Sadie be pregnant since the Yorkie was male and both dogs were intact? Erica contacted the quarantine kennel with her fingers crossed. She spoke to the man in charge who reassured her that he had experience delivering puppies and would take care of Sadie and any puppies. In addition, the kennel had a van which would come down, pick up Sadie and another Scottie that had come into the shelter and transport them. Judy, a foster mom for Scottie rescue, who lived closer to the kennel would foster the second Scottie and the kennel agreed to drop him off for her.

Now, aren't I a beautiful Scottie lady!

When the required letters came through, the rescue applied again to get Sadie. Erica’s husband, Richard, who works for the city of NY, worked his contacts for additional pressure. At last, Sadie was released from the kill shelter and on her way to the kennel, a nice facility with open air runs that allowed Sadie to enjoy the country life.

The six months spent in the kennel cost rescue over $1000 even at rescue rates. Then once she went into foster care, there were vet bills for her vaccinations, spaying and grooming. In addition, the rescue hired a trainer to work with Sadie because, even though she was sweet natured with people, she was dog aggressive.

At last, Sadie was healthy and ready to go to her forever home. Now, a good looking Scottie and with her sweet disposition, Erica knew she would be easy to place. “But,” said Erica, “I wanted a special home for her.” A home with a yard and a family who would love her and make up for all the hard times this sweet girl had gone through.”

Fortunately, the perfect home and family appeared. They live on the New Jersey shore, have a beautiful house with a nice fenced backyard and three older children. Only the third child, a teen-aged high school boy, is still living at home and he and Sadie bonded quickly.

“I’m so pleased”, Erica said. “This was a very nerve-wracking rescue with all the hoops we had to jump through, but now we have a happy ending. All of us would do this again in a heart beat. Despite passing through the hands of many folks who really didn’t care about her, Sadie is such a sweet girl. She deserved a great home!”

The Greater New York/New Jersey Scottie Rescue is an all volunteer, 501C3 organization that depends on the kindness of friends and strangers. If you would like to learn more about this dedicated Scottie rescue group, donate, or volunteer, visit their website: Scottie Rescue.

You can find more animal rescue, therapy animal, and other pet related articles in our pet section.

Want to know how to see your ad like this at the end of an article? Email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] for more info. 10% of all ad sales goes to animal rescue.

Lee Juslin is a free lance copywriter living in North Carolina with her husband, Scott, and her band of misfits: Tarquin, a Wheaten Scottish Terrier, and three handicapped cats. They can be seen on their website: Hampshire Hooligans. She owns I B Dog Gone, a small embroidery business and is the author of the Nurse Frosty books for children and Frosty’s Story: Tales of a Therapy Dog. She supports a number of national and regional terrier rescue organizations.