We’ve had Mabel (Mocha at HSP) for just over a month, and I wanted to share her story. When we adopted her, we knew she was recovering from a minor-ish ailment, but she became extremely ill by her first night with us. The Animal Care Center didn’t think she’d make it, and neither did VCA Aurora. She spent a few sad days in the ICU at the VCA hospital. When she came home, our other dog, a beagle mix named Ollie (also an HSP alum), had to seek refuge elsewhere for a while for his own health. And HSP’s amazing volunteers helped us with that hurdle. Now Mabel is healthy and beautiful. She’s sweet, tolerant, playful, eager to please, and deeply loving with the whole family. She adores the grownups, our toddler, and Ollie. In fact, within days of joining our family, a thunderstorm upset Ollie, and in the past, not even medication eased his fears. But Mabel knew how to help. She gently curled her body around him, and after a few moments, her little doggie brother sighed deeply and drifted off to sleep. Unbelievable! (I’m so glad I got a photo of it!) We’re now working gently and slowly to help her with her own fears. She’s struggling with some separation anxiety, but we’ll make it as easy for her as we can. We’re enrolling her in an obedience class next month, and maybe someday she can be a pet therapy dog like her little doggie brother (although she’s a bit skittish, so we’ll have to see how her confidence grows). Thank you!