Violeta Is Safe!
Violeta
The day after Volunteer Lisa rescued Ben, we received notification that another German Shorthaired Pointer arrived at the same shelter a little later on the same day. Being older than Ben and Ben not being adopted, we knew the new GSP to the animal shelter would receive little, if any, attention. We contacted the Animal Control Officer (ACO), who helped provide information about Ben to learn more about the new GSP.
The ACO did confirm an adult female German Shorthaired Pointer was picked up as a stray the same day we rescued Ben. She had recently had pups and was still lactating. Undoubtedly someone would be looking for the Mother of a recently whelped litter. Wouldn't they?
As expected, being a stray, the animal shelter would hold the new girl for five business days. Unexpectedly, the animal shelter initially wished to evaluate her, something California GSP Rescues does with all the dogs they rescue, but only some shelters perform. With a limited number of evaluators, the animal control officer didn't know when her evaluation would occur, but we would continue to wait and monitor her. We knew that someone was caring for a litter of pups and felt confident the owner would come to claim the Mother.
The weekend and the end of the five-day holding period approached. The shelter had named the GSP Violeta. Violeta, a blueish-purple flower that Ancient Greeks believed to be a symbol of fertility and love. The name seemed appropriate, but where was the love. The holding period passed, and the owner had not come to claim Violeta.
Animal Shelters everywhere are impacted around the holidays, with so many animals showing up as strays and being surrendered. A few more days passed, and the ACO reached out to California GSP Rescue. Were we still interested in Violeta, and if yes, when could transportation be arranged. Having been monitoring her daily, of course, we were still interested. The next day was busy. In addition to the routine daily chores, dogs needed to go to the Vet; there was an adoption appointment on the calendar, and, yes, time to get Violeta. An appointment was made for the Volunteer to visit the Animal Shelter and rescue Violeta.
Arriving at the shelter, one never knows what to expect. Someone at the window was giving up the family dog while someone at the gate was waiting to adopt a new family member. The Volunteer waited patiently, making conversation with the soon-to-be dog owner. It didn't take long for the ACO to collect Violeta from her kennel and brought up to the front. Her tail was wagging; happy someone was finally there to get her. She looked at the Volunteer as if to say, "what took you so long?" The Volunteer returned the gaze with heartfelt love. Violeta knew she was safe.
California GSP Rescue is an all-volunteer organization consisting of individuals who dedicate much of their time to helping rescue and place German Shorthaired Pointers. This past year has been a challenging year with the number of GSP’s needing assistance back at pre-pandemic levels. Our success rests not only on the volunteers but also on adopters , supporters , and Rescue Heroes . If you cannot adopt or are unable to become a Rescue Hero, please consider helping by sharing this and other posts.
