Maddie

Maddie is a sweet girl with a sad, sad story.

Maddie, a 3-year-old Retriever mix at the BGWCHS, has been a stray for most of her life. No one is really sure where she came from, but for years she wandered around on her own, relying on the goodwill of random people who saw her and gave her food or water to survive. Although her optimistic, trusting disposition suggests that most people were nice to her, no one was able to give her a permanent home. During her time as a stray, she became very emaciated and covered with fleas, and based on her physical condition she gave birth to multiple litters of puppies, none of whom could be found. And to top it all off, after a physical inspection by shelter workers, she was also found to be heartworm positive.

Maddie was finally brought to the Humane Society when a nice family took her in temporarily, but realized that no one was coming for her and that they couldn’t keep her forever. They said that in the short amount of time they did get to spend with her, that she proved to be a wonderful pet and friend. She is very intelligent, so she caught on easily to crate training and leash walking. Although she is just a touch frightened of new people, as soon as she knows she can trust someone, she just wants to play and cuddle and go for a walk. She has a very outgoing and energetic personality, but without being overbearing. If her new friend is not able to keep up with her energy, she is perfectly satisfied to sit and be petted. To her, the most important thing is that she makes her people happy.

Unfortunately for Maddie, although she has such a wonderful personality and makes such a loyal friend, she is at a disadvantage in terms of getting adopted. Black dogs are statistically shown to be much less likely to get adopted than other colored dogs, probably because they’re “less cute.” Add to that all her health problems and difficult past, and the odds don’t look too good for Maddie.

However, the Bowling Green animal lover community is very active and aware. By spreading the word about Maddie and her story, we can give her a good chance of finding a home. Please share Maddie’s story through social media, or consider adopting, fostering, or sponsoring her through her Petfinder page.