Well it didn’t take long for us to find some things that put a big smile on Stevie Wonder’s face: sticks, balls, or anything else that can be thrown for her to retrieve! The girl is a natural-born fetcher!

We have started taking her out into our fenced yard to let her explore on her own and to observe her off-leash behavior. The first few times, she wouldn’t leave our side. The second we would stop walking, she would plop her butt down right next to where we were standing. She wouldn’t even trot away far enough to pee! As she gained confidence that we weren’t going to run away, she started exploring a little bit.

And what did she discover in her explorations? Mr. Chick’s favorite fetching stick! The moment she found it, we knew she was in love. She immediately picked it up in her mouth and started proudly trotting around with it dragging behind her. I called her over to me, and she dropped it, looking at me expectantly. A few throws, and I could see that this was the beginning of a happy daily activity. Check out the smile on Miss Wonder’s face!

On the day of Stevie Wonder’s rescue, she was found tied to a tree on the property of a suburban golf course. Dogs can’t tell time extraordinarily well, of course, so she wasn’t able to tell anyone how long she had been there. She was skinny as a rail, though, and more than a little nervous.

Once back at the shelter, scratches and cuts were discovered all over her neck and face. Her evaluator assumed they were animal bites, but just to be safe, a vet clipped and scrubbed the area, finding that they were all scratches and not punctures, indicating that they were unlikely to be animal bites. Perhaps she had scratched herself up trying and trying to escape from an enclosure, for example.

Early in our time with each dog we have taken care of, a moment comes when I can scarcely think about anything other than “how could this have happened to this dog?” I wish more than anything that they could talk, and tell me their stories.

But on the other hand, it’s probably better that they can’t tell us the stories of their lives. Whereas we are prone to always remembering and being haunted, most dogs have an amazing ability to leave the past behind and accept a new reality as if it were the only one that ever was. It takes more time for some dogs than others, but we have found this generally to be true. Dear Stevie Wonder will never tell us what her scars mean or how she ended up tethered to a tree and abandoned, and we hope that soon enough, she won’t even remember it herself, as her memory and past identity begins to fade away and be replaced by the new life we’re building with her now.

The girlie certainly is coming around. She is progressing faster than I had expected, and is already willing to trust us more often than not. I can still see the worry in her expressions and she is timid of new situations and unexpected things, but hey — it’s only been a few days, and she is already turning into a wonderful little companion.

Meet Stevie Wonder! She is just as wonderful as her namesake, only she can see just fine and doesn’t play the piano or sing!

I first met Stevie Wonder a couple of weeks ago while visiting our county shelter, MCHS. I was immediately drawn to her gorgeous brindle coat, her sad, timid eyes, and the way she hung back in her enclosure. I didn’t know if she was just a shy girl or if she had plain given up, but I couldn’t resist taking her out for a walk.

I admit, Stevie didn’t warm up immediately. The first time I met her, she was withdrawn and scared. She was very gentle and quiet, but not playful or outgoing. I sat outside with her and a staff person for a few minutes. After she finished sniffing around, she tenderly walked over to us, made a few tight circles, and laid down at our feet. She didn’t want to interact or be petted, but she did want to be close. It brought her some sort of comfort.

The second time I met Stevie, she had become even more withdrawn in the kennel. She didn’t seem excited to see visitors. She resisted leaving her pen before a walk, and she resisted going back in afterward. If anything unexpected happened, she would flatten into a pancake on the ground. It seemed like a manifestation of kennel stress — the variety that happens to the shyer dogs. The love and activity she was getting from the shelter staff and volunteers just wasn’t enough for her tender little soul.

So we pulled her.

On the drive home, Stevie Wonder threw up. Twice. It must have been a combination of car sickness and nerves, but the poor girl was a mess. She remained shellshocked for much of the day, with her eyes averted and her tail tucked between her legs. She didn’t relieve herself for nearly 24 hours, and didn’t eat a bite or drink any water for even longer. But by the end of our second day, that tail started to untuck, and little Stevie was approaching us, hesitantly, to ask for our touch.

Welcome, Stevie Wonder! We can’t wait to teach that tail to wag your whole body!