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Sassy Pants "Miss Pants" came to us
in need of long term rehabilitation. Arriving in January 2003 from New Jersy, Sassy had been scheduled for euthanasia due
to fear aggression. One of our foster moms drove from southern Kentucky to Ohio to meet the transport bringing Sassy
into resuce. This is her story:
Freezing rain and sleet made the drive to meet Sassy slow moving and nerve wracking,
but it was nowhere near as frustrating as the story I heard from the individual who had been keeping her for the
previous three months.
Although I had been working with Chi's with fear aggression issues for some time, I had never
seen behavior as severe as Sassy's. She was in a crate too small for her size, and yet she attempted to lunge at the wire
door each time a human came into her line of vision. She resembled a wolverine, ready to do battle with anything in her path.
My co-pilot kept whispering, "You've bitten off more than you can chew this time", but my
mind was filled with saddness and pity for this little girl. It was evident she felt she was fighting for her life, and my
heart was filled with both grief and anger;
grief in the imagined horrors this girl had suffered, and intense anger that anyone could
push this small creaure to be what I saw before me.
I asked for asistance in placing Sassy into a larger crate for the long ride to her
rehab home, and was told by her caretaker that he would not touch her or open her crate. I asked how she had been fed, had
bathroom outings, and been bathed in the three months she had been with him. His response brought a surge of rage I had to
fight to control.
In her time with him, Sassy had never been touched. Her food and water had been poured
through the door of this tiny crate. There had been no outings. When her crate was soiled, another was set up right and she
was "poured" into it. She had received no medical care and had not been bathed. There was nothing I could
say to this man. I took Sassy's crate and walked away, with hopes for him I can't express here.
I didn't know what had happened in Sassy's life before she came into to his hands, and
to me, it didn't matter. Knowing what she had suffered in that three months with him was enough for a life time.
I made a promise to Sassy that day. I swore to her that she would know what it's like to be
loved. And I've kept that promise. She now cuddles with me in the bed at night, and puts her feet up to ask for affection.
Sassy has come along way, but still has fear of being picked up and has to be lifted on her
own terms. Even after all this time, she is still uncertain a if a human will hurt her.
We will consider an adoptive home for Sassy, but a new parent must have experience
with abuse reaction and understand there may always be trust issues after what Sassy has been through. There may
be a long adjustment period and there may be regression to old behaviors. She will need a very special home and a very special
Angel to be allowed to leave retirement.
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