West Virginia Rescuers Are Heartbroken After Realizing Why This Pup Stares At The Wall All The Time

One of the things every rescuer wants more than anything is to make sure every dog finds a forever home as quickly as possible.

Until that happens, they usually try to make these pups feel comfortable in the shelter by giving them food, cuddles, walks, and a warm spot for sleeping.

Occasionally, this helps dogs relax, and some of them feel right at home knowing that they are surrounded by people they love and other dogs they can play with.

However, it’s important to note that this is not a permanent solution. Some pups can feel extremely isolated and lonely in the shelter. 

They end up suffering a lot because of that and it causes many problems. Today, we will talk about a similar case in West Virginia where a pup kept staring at a wall, so her rescuers tried to help her somehow.

Why Was She So Sad?

When Cassie first came into the shelter, Hope For Life Rescue, in West Virginia, she was only a puppy. Nobody really expected that she would stay there for so long.

To make Cassie’s case even more depressing, the rescuers from her previous shelter have started taking in many new dogs, and she was at risk of euthanasia because of it.

I think even she felt that something was wrong, so they had to move her to the Hope For Life Rescue. But, things were not looking up for her. 

She felt completely heartbroken after being separated from the people who used to care for her every day. The only thing she wanted to do was stare at the wall the entire day.

The rescuers also noted that she was trembling and even refused to eat or drink anything. She was scared and sad.

They had no idea what to do about it. It was one of the most extreme cases they have seen in years, and it’s going to take a while before they can turn things around.

Cassie Is Making Small Progress

The rescuers were willing to make small steps in order to help Cassie. They were just going to stay next to her and let her ease up bit by bit.

Eventually, she will come to them on her own terms, and that will help her overcome her fears. After some time, the rescuers noticed that she was making progress.

While it was still very small, it was something. One big progress was when she got up to meet another dog who used her potty pad.

In one week, they have made some progress, and she is eating better. It will likely take at least a few months before she overcomes her fears.

The kind rescuers are hoping to find a foster home for her soon because they believe that it would be the best chance she has of recovering from her trauma.

Even though her progress is very slow, I am hopeful that Cassie will continue to change slowly and will eventually find a loving family who will give her the life she deserves.

@hopeforliferescue

Cassie came to us from a rural shelter in West Virginia, where she had been living since 2023, likely spending the majority, if not all, of her young life there. A volunteer who had been advocating for her reached out when her time was up. Like so many rural shelters, adoptions are limited, and space is even more limited. So when an emergency intake came in, Cassie’s life was suddenly at risk. We don’t know the details of her past. The staff and volunteers who cared for her did what they could. We’ve even seen videos of her wagging her tail at other dogs. But what we do know is that this was the only life Cassie had ever known, and leaving it behind has left her completely heartbroken. She’s withdrawn, trembling, refusing to eat or drink much, and seems to be trying to disappear into the walls. It’s one of the most extreme cases of fear we’ve seen in years. Anyone who’s ever experienced heartbreak knows what it’s like to mourn what wasn’t right for them. And that might be exactly what Cassie is doing right now, grieving the loss of a place that felt like home, even if it wasn’t where she was meant to stay. We want her to know we didn’t take her from that shelter to give her something worse, we’re here to show her that life can be better. So we’re taking it slow. We’re not pushing her into a foster home or forcing interaction. We’re simply inviting people to come sit with her. Bring a book, bring a laptop, bring a blanket and a soft voice. Let her feel the quiet safety of people just being near her. Our initial sign-ups for visits have already been filled, but we’re located in Virginia Beach, so if you’re local—or nearby—we’re going to see how she does tomorrow. If she seems comfortable with visitors, we’ll open another round of sign-ups the next day. And if that goes well, we’ll keep going. Everything will move at her pace. No dog should ever be this scared. And we’re going to do everything we can to help her feel safe, loved, and whole again. Stay tuned, and thank you for caring about her. #RescueDog

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