Shelter Dog Has Huge Impact on Cancer Patients

Every year more than 11,000 dogs end up at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Center. They include a huge variety of breeds and dogs big and small. They each have their own individual back stories, some have been abused harshly and some have just come from families who no longer had the time to look after them properly. Some of these dogs are adopted very quickly. They have ‘the cute factor’ or they have a knack of making people fall in love with them in next to no time. Others however, struggle to make much of an impact and end up staying at the rescue center for many months, sometimes even years.

One brown and white pit bull was always overlooked by visitors. She was adored by the staff who worked at the shelter but so far as most people who were looking to re-home a dog were concerned, she was not worth turning an eye towards. Her name was Lady. Pit bulls are by far and away the most common breed found at animal rescue centers.

Lady doesn’t even really have that atypical a back story. She was simply found as a stray and brought into the center. This doesn’t help her situation either. Usually people like to have a good backstory to the animal they adopt. If a dog has come from a difficult situation then it makes it more of a challenge to ‘bring it back’ and an achievement to give it a loving and caring home. Likewise, if it has come from an ex home where it used to be loved, the new owner knows that it will more than likely be OK to look after. With a simple stray dog you have no idea where it has come from or much about what it will be like. None of this helped Lady therefore.

Lady’s life turned around however when Mandy Weikert and her partner Chris Kimple drove down to Baltimore to the animal shelter. They were looking for a relatively young dog who could replace an animal they had recently lost. Their previous dog had helped to cheer up cancer payments in their final days at Mandy’s place of work. She works as a nurse at a cancer treatment clinic.

Lady was introduced to them and instantly made them laugh. She was really happy and bouncy, just what they wanted.

One day, Mandy took Lady into work with her. She seemed able to empathize with the patients straight away. Perhaps it was because she had once been sidelined herself and knew what it was like to be ignored by society. She knew that they needed attention and cheering up.

She now comes to the clinic every day and does a great job and making people happy. She even waits by Mandy’s car each day, eager to go to work.

Lady was given a new life when Mandy and Chris came to the shelter that day. There are lots of other dogs like Lady out there waiting for a loving home. If you are looking for a new pet and a challenge why not go and give an animal shelter a visit?