So many animals come into shelters with sad pasts. Many are abused and this often stays with this as trauma for years. Often, they are shy and distrustful, and others just refuse to eat.
One dog in Elberton, Georgia, was so nervous when she got to Granite Hills Animal Care she wouldn’t eat a thing.
Graycie Claire was in such a terrible way when she was taken to the shelter, the rescuers were concerned that she wouldn’t even pull through. The poor dog had been found lying on the side of the road, and she was anemic, emaciated, and hypothermic.
She was physically hurt, yes, but even after those wounds healed, there were deeper hurts that needed help.
The poor pup was so terrified of humans that she wouldn’t even allow herself to be in the same room as someone. If a human approached her, she would cower and hide in the corner. It was clear she was seriously abused.
It was obvious that whatever background Graycie had come from, it hadn’t been a good one. She was likely to have been abused and mistreated in the past, and the fact that her old owners left her on the side of the road for dead just showed how little they actually cared about her.
With all that discomfort, Graycie refused to eat. She was losing weight and needed to get nutrients if she was going to heal.
She was dangerously skinny as it was, and rescuers knew that it was hugely important for her to begin to eat, or her body would shut down. Thankfully, veterinarian Andy Mathis had a plan.
The kind human decided to keep a closer eye on the pup. After a while, he had a plan that just might help her eat.
His plan? Sit in the kennel with the pup and eat his own food out of a dog bowl! If he could do it, she might try and copy him and eat from her own bowl.
On the day of the plan, Andy decided to film it. He wanted to be able to celebrate wins with his team!
You can imagine how surprised he was when Graycie ate every last bit of his food – his plan worked!
He posted the video back in 2016 and even has an update for us! In one of the YouTube descriptions, he said:
“Many people learned of Graycie on Feb 13th, 2016, so we made this video to celebrate the anniversary. I didn’t intend to keep Graycie when she first showed up . . .we were thinking she could be adopted at some point. She has some behavioral and social challenges, along with a physical issue with her bladder (birth defect) that makes her difficult to place in a normal household and normal family.”
In the new video from 2017, Andy and Gracie are sitting and sharing a meal at a table. She looks incredible! Her glossy fur and confident movements show just how far she has come in the year since.
She licks her lips as she gobbles up her food, and even tries to take a bite from Andy’s bowl!
The journey was a long one, but it was needed. Her incredible transformation shows just how much of a difference one person’s kindness can make in a life.
Check out the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
