Tina Collie & Labrador Retriever Mix Armonk, NY

Given how Tina first came to our notice, it is truly a wonder when you see the dog she is today. Our rescue partner in West Virginia reached out to us in April of 2019 about a feral, heavily pregnant dog that had came in as a stray. Terrified out of her mind, the staff there knew that they needed help with this dog who was ready to give birth soon. We came, and along with a few other dogs, brought Tina back to our shelter. The next few months were spent helping this new mom take care of her puppies (although she did not need much help!) and then once all of her puppies were in foster and then adopted we turned our focus to Tina.

In the last year and a half, we have been constantly amazed by the progress Tina has made. She had never experienced what we assume all dogs have done; walking on a leash, eating from a food bowl, being around people, all were foreign to her. What has aided Tina tremendously is the fact that she is so dog-friendly and tolerant. Tina thrives off the companionship and camaraderie of other dogs and by being around them she slowly started mimicking and picking up on things that they do. Her first friend at our shelter was Legend and as roommates, he helped show her a thing or two about the best parts of being a dog and what to enjoy in life. Now she is roomies with Raven, who has shown Tina that snacks and toys are the ultimate and that you have to make sure if you are not playing you are snacking!

By no means has Tina completely transformed into what we would consider a normal dog but she has certainly made strides towards something like it. The first time she rolled over and gave belly to our Shelter and Behavior Assistant Leslie we all collectively smiled and gasped a bit! An ideal home for Tina would be one with a lot of patience and determination that has at least one other dog if not more. She would definitely need a fenced-in yard as she is not the type to just go out the back and come right back inside (baby steps!). We cannot wait to see what strides Tina continues to make and we cannot wait to see what her future has in store.