Garrus

Your Pet's Rescue Story
I adopted Garrus 4 and a half years ago from the Hillsborough County Animal Services center near Brandon, FL. I had gone to donate old towels and ended up looking at the dogs they had. While there I played with a sweet black puppy with a white blaze on his chest. But being responsible - I hadn't come to adopt - I went home. For the next week I couldn't help but think about the pup I played with and by the end of it I was back at HCAS, this time ready to adopt. The only thing I had with me was my childhood dachshund's pink collar and leash that we had held on to after she passed. It turned out the pup I had played with, though, had already been adopted. But I was there anyway, so I walked amongst the kennels even if I wasn't going home with a friend. At one point I found myself in the farthest back section of the kennels. Where a lot of the sick dogs were. There were some that looked fine, others that were, well, not so great. Nearly at the end of the kennels, just as I was about to turn around and leave, something caught my attention. A little black dog with a white blaze on his chest. This one had mange and ringworm, but unlike most dogs at the shelter, he was planted in a polite "sit", the very tip of his tail wagging, cautiously optimistic.

He's not so little now at 60 lbs. And his coat feels like velvet. The demodex treatment was a long road, but it paid off. He's timid and has some anxiety issues, but he'll shake your hand, give you a high-five, and spin on command. He managed to get over his fears to pass his Canine Good Citizen test. And as you can probably tell from the photo, he will *not* take his eyes off of a high value treat. If I could go back in time I would adopt him a thousand times over. My fiancé and I are his parents and he's our little guy. We love him, quirks and all.