This Shelter Dog Had Completely Given Up Hope, But Then Her Family Walked In

One year ago, Reddit user goldie0702 made everyone’s hearts swell with before and after photos titled “What a difference one day can make. Meet Spokey!”

The pictures showed a forlorn dog in a shelter, head hung low as though she’d simply given up, alongside the smiling post-adoption snapshot.

They received almost 1.7 million views.

Now that Spokey and her family have gotten to know each other, they decided it would only be right to share a little more of the story.

Spokey met her humans for the first time at the Maryland SPCA; she had been found in rural West Virginia twenty pounds underweight, and showed clear signs of having been a mom in the past. Her owner wrote:

We fell in love with her the minute we saw her, and returned to the SPCA every day until she was available for adoption.

When the new pup parents took their best friend home, it was a bit of a roller coaster ride. But with help from the shelter and so many amazingly supportive comments from Reddit users, they got Spokey to come out of her shell. The post read:

She is very calm-tempered, but is both mesmerized and terrified of vehicles as they drive past her. We are having some trouble getting her to eat and drink, but we are told that can be normal with rescue pups.

She got the hang of it pretty quickly, it seemed.

She sheds more than ANY dog I’ve ever had! And when its all over, she stares at me as though I have wronged generations of her family.

Source: Imgur

And don’t even get them started on the sleeping arrangements. Forget getting up to get a snack or use the bathroom—she will know, because this girl can’t snooze unless she’s touching someone.

Source: Imgur

Things worked out pretty well for Spokey, after a somewhat mysterious and difficult past. She proves to us that rescue dogs are miraculous in and of themselves, and the effort we put in makes us better people overall.

“Spokey is happiest, silliest, most loving dog I’ve ever had,” her human wrote. “[She] has made my life 100% better. I couldn’t be happier that she was brought into my life.”

Source: Imgur

Fast-forward one whole year with a loving family, and Spokey is a completely different dog. In fact, she’s sort of a drama queen.

“This is Spokey’s version of ‘spending time outdoors,'” her human wrote. “Nothing like enjoying a bright sunny day with a puffy doggy bed and all of her food and toys.”

Source: Imgur

The only time Spokey ever truly looks upset, her owner notes, is when she gets brushed.

“I’m Not Leaving You, Mama!” This is What Love Looks Like.

UPDATE: Lizzie and Phantom are currently recovering in an outdoor koala ward within the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital . They’re doing swimmingly; Phantom is both gaining weight and exploring his temporary habitat. And of course, mama and baby are sharing more adorable cuddles! For most species in the animal kingdom, the bond between mother and baby is incredibly strong. That's pretty much inarguable. But last week, two koalas in Australia further proved it. After they were hit by a car, Lizzie and her joey, Phantom were welcomed into the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Six-month-old Phantom had escaped the accident unscathed. Lizzie, however, wasn’t looking so good, what with facial trauma and a collapsed lung. In order to survive, she needed to go under the surgeon’s knife. But this marsupial mama wasn’t alone during the life-saving procedure. Phantom accompanied her and clung to her as she received treatment. The vets let them be; Phantom was too y...

Protect Our Waters: Say No To Plastic Waste!

Plastic garbage. It’s something we all see everyday. Don’t be fooled to think that these plastics are merely an eyesore. We’ve become so accustomed to using plastic utensils, straws, water bottles and bags that it’s easy to forget the impact this has on our environment and climate. My name is Tyler and I’m in my fourth year of university in Canada, where I’m earning a degree in Environmental Studies. I'm also an environmental activist. Even for someone like me, it’s hard to avoid using plastic at places like fast food restaurant, and that needs to change. I’ve started this movement to highlight calls to action happening around the world, and to grow a community of everyday citizens pressing governments and companies to get serious about cleaning up our rivers, lakes and oceans . When we work together, and keep the pressure on, we really can make an impact. I know this firsthand, after collaborating with activists across Canada to successfully urge th...

Stop holding the (2018) Yulin dog meat & lychee festival in Yulin, (Guangxi) China.

This "festival" is an event that starts on June 21st of every year during the summer solstice and it lasts for 10 long horrifying days in which 10,000–15,000 dogs (as well as cats) are tortured and then consumed. However, it is estimated 25 million dogs are stolen, sold, bought, and eaten every year with the illegal dog and cat meat trade. A larger percentage of these dogs consist of pets stolen right from their loving families. The rest of the dogs are captured strays from the streets and some raised in dog farms. After these animals are stolen, bought, or captured they are then transported for days without any food or water, crammed in tiny cages together so tightly that they are unable to even move. At the yulin festival, throughout those days, these animals will be hung, burned, skinned, boiled, torched, dismembered, electrocuted and beaten...ALIVE..out in the streets for public view. But If that isn't bad enough, they intentionally torture these animals in f...

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