When a pup named Noel arrived at Lucky Dog after she was taken in from Florence County Environmental Services, she wasn’t doing too well.
Apart from being super shy and scared of her new environment, she was also extremely pregnant.
Luckily, the shelter placed pregnant pups as a foster priority since a kennel is no place for little pups to grow up. So, as soon as a loving home opened up, Noel was on her way to start a new chapter of her life.
However, things proved to be much more difficult than anybody anticipated.
A Long Life Of Hardships
Noel delivered a healthy and happy litter with whom she remained until each and every puppy grew up and got adopted. And, as much as Noel was sad to see her pups go away, she knew they were going to be well taken care of.
Unfortunately, things weren’t so easy for this sweet mama.
Noel struggled to find a loving home of her own since she didn’t really feel safe around new people. Luckily, the Florence shelter managed to find her a long-term foster home with incredible hoomans who dedicated their time to building her confidence.
After some time, Noel arrived at the loving home of Irene Marquez, an animal rescuer who spent the past 18 years helping doggos in need. However, when she met the pup, Marquez knew that she needed some extra care and attention.
“She got transported to me, and we had to carry her into the house, and she ran into her crate and then got to the furthest corner of the crate and sat there for 18 hours. It was heartbreaking,” Marquez told People.
Easy Does It
Even though it did take some time and a lot of patience, Marquez did what she intended.
“It took her three days to venture out of the crate and come out into my family room area. And she kind of peeked her head in but didn’t approach, and then she walked right back into her crate. But then she started doing that every day…” Marquez stated.
Noel really did start coming out of her shell. Marquez even noticed that she enjoyed going out on long walks. But, the thing this sweet girl adored the most was helping her hooman take care of the foster pups.
While in her care, Noel became a mama to over two dozen foster puppies.
“It didn’t matter what size, as long as they were puppies. She let them do whatever they wanted to her,” Marquez said.
But, the hooman was also fully aware that the foster puppies helped Noel, too. They encouraged her to become more relaxed and tap into her inner puppy.
The moment she transformed into a loving, happy pup, Noel started getting some attention. However, when Joe Capra and Valerie Smith laid their eyes on this girl, they knew that was the pup for them!
“We saw her, and then we talked to Lucky Dog about it and found out she’d been in foster care for three years, and we were like, ‘Yeah, no more of that,'” Capra stated.
Finally Home
The couple immediately made their way down to the pet store and stocked up on all of the supplies necessary for their furry friend.
The first time she met her new hoomans, Noel wasn’t really sure what to think. But, it didn’t take her too long to pick her spot on the couch.
“I think something important is just to meet any dog where they are. When we first met Noelle, she was extremely shy. She rarely lets us pet her, but it takes time to build trust. And I think if you are willing to put time into building a relationship, it’s really rewarding,” Smith says.
Spending some time with the couple, Noel realized that it was them she had been waiting for all this time.
After spending 1,263 days at a shelter looking for a home of her own, this sweet girl finally found exactly that.