I can’t fathom what it’s like to be a dog or cat or bird who has spent the majority of their life with a person or family and then, due to whatever circumstances, find themselves abruptly in a shelter. It may not be due to cruelty or abandonment; sometimes, they can’t afford to have pets anymore. The animal won’t understand that, though, and it can make them feel unloved.
That was the case of the canine in this video. Honey Bee, an eight-year-old Boxer, was turned into a shelter in Los Angeles. She was sent to an adoption center, and she was depressed. Probably because her owner had suddenly dropped her off and just left, that must have felt like a part of her was torn out.
Honey Bee had medical issues, including a bad hip. Her depression got to the point where she was refusing food. The staff was at a loss at what to do – they made a last-ditch effort and put her in a foster home. Talk about a huge difference.
Honey Bee went from being a hobbled, arthritic dog to one with a spring in her step. The first sign was her joy at taking a car ride. She bounded around her new place, even playfully head-butting her foster mommy. This seemed to take years off her appearance – she was bounding around like a puppy at some points.
I was amazed at what this simple change wrought. The household environment and the structure of walks and other activities were all that was needed to bring Honey Bee out of her shell. She knew that being in the drab shelter was not going to be a good fit for her, and she was feeling down about it.
Fortunately, the workers there came upon the fostering idea, and it literally saved her life. She felt loved again, and that was all it took to make her shake her funk. Don’t miss Honey Bee’s incredible transformation in the video we posted below.
