Say hello to Kayla, she is 9yrs, spayed, fully vaccinated and chipped.

This poor girl has not had the best start in life and had a real lucky escape from her previous life.

This is the story of Kayla as told by the very kind vet who took her in and she is currently living with:

3 months ago, two employees of a security dogs company brought me a dog in terrible conditions. She had been mistreated for the last 3 years (maybe more). She was living in a kennel, in a miserable state of malnutrition and without the opportunity of doing some exercise. 
They brought her to the practice because she was “limping”. But the limp was the least concern to me. She was extremely underweight, she had a massive abscess in one of her hocks, and there was a very bad muscular atrophy on the back legs. The hair was so dirty that instead of being black it was brown. Under this layer of mud and dirt, the skin suffered of multiple lesions, all of them infected and inflamed. The left eye was also infected and she had gastrointestinal problems. She was basically reduced to skin and bones.

After doing a proper examination, I discussed the possible treatment and investigation with the keepers. They asked me for the price and when I told them an estimate they laughed. They didn´t want to pay for any treatment and they wanted me to do the euthanasia on the dog. I explained that she didn´t have to be put to sleep. She could recover with the proper medication and care. But they just wanted to get rid of her. 
I couldn´t put her to sleep. I offered them the option to leave her with me so I would take care of her. They laughed again and they accepted. 
So, she has been with me the last 3 months. She didn´t know what love was, she was scared of everything (even the floor of the house!), and she wasn´t sure what to do with the toys that I bought for her.

She has recovered, still has a few marks and scars on the skin but she is a much happier dog.
She now plays with the ball, runs with me during the walks and follow the basic orders that I taught her, and she understands that she can receive some love from us.

Unfortunately, I cannot keep her forever. I live in a house with a small garden that is not enough for her, and I go very often to Spain to see my family, so I´m looking for someone who can rehome her permanently in a place where she can have the good retirement that she deserves.

She was trained to bark people that doesn´t know, something that could be tedious during walks but useful if she works as a guard dog, that’s why ideally the best place for her would be probably a farm where she can run, bark to the birds and protect the property, or maybe a house with a big garden.

She created a strong bound with me in a short time, and I am sure that she can do that again, this time forever. If you know someone who can give her a second chance to this lovely German shepherd.

These are our volunteers notes when she visited:

The vet took the trouble to contact the previous owner as identified by her chip but they were not interested in Kayla.

I talked to the vet outside the home before Kayla was brought out – this was to avoid her barking and being a ‘security dog’.
My thoughts were – you poor little girl. Her skin has been treated but there are still a couple of patches. She was not relaxed but looking around alert and nervy.
Kayla was muzzled and gently took some tasty treats from me.
We went for a walk and Kayla barked at people close by. However if people were on the other side of the road she did not bark. The vet has unsuccessfully tried some distraction but my thoughts were that the poor dog has been so neglected that she needs time to feel more secure. She did toilet whilst out but there was no relaxed sniffing despite being on a familiar route. On the positive she wasn’t fazed by the busy road and although she pulled I wouldn’t describe her as a strong puller but obviously given her background in security she must be under control at all times.

In the house Kayla was muzzled for a short time but I felt comfortable for it to be removed. (Other visitors have ignored her and the muzzle has also been removed with them after the initial settling). I wouldn’t describe myself as the bravest and I say this as despite seeing her barking hard at strangers whilst out her behavior inside was much calmer.

With treats available Kayla came to me and took them gently and allowed me to fuss her a little. I talked to her a lot (in a silly voice as we do) and she sat for the treat when asked. Once the treats were put away she lay down away from us both.

I asked about toys and there have been moments where she’s been coaxed to play a little in the house with a ball and has shown no aggression with the toys. However sadly, she doesn’t really know what play is.
She will growl if someone (but not the owner) goes near whilst eating.

Not long before I left I walked over to Kayla to see how she would react. She looked very nervous and worried. I crouched down near her and she sniffed my hand but it was obvious she was nervous so I just left her alone.

She will be spayed on Monday.

Kayla is a no to cats and ‘not known’ with other dogs.

In summary this girl deserves a retirement home where she can be given lots of time to get to know you and form a bond. Her new home needs to appreciate her background and keep her safe. Given that she quickly warmed to me – with the treats! – I would say that she’s really wanting more love but needs time to feel secure to receive it. Remember, she’s an ex-security dog and nervous so she’d need a patient and experienced home.

And what a SUPER KIND vet – more of these please. The incident has been reported to the RSPCA who are investigating.

Rehomed by the vet who saved her life!!! Fabulous news!!

Location:

West Midlands

Sex:

Female

Age:

9

Neutered:

Yes

Good with children:

Unknown

Good with other dogs:

No

Good with cats:

No