During her lunch break in February 2019, Jackie Rakers saw Heaven, a 5-month-old rescue dog in need of a foster home, and immediately fell in love with her.․․
“I kept gazing at her photo on my phone. The rescue team had already received an email from me by the time I finished my lunch break “PEOPLE spoke with a 30-year-old St. Charles, Ill., buying employee. Within weeks, Rakers had built a tight relationship with “the little ball of a fluffy puppy,” who she adopted from the Starfish Animal Rescue in Plainfield, Ill. A month later, she completed her adoption.․․
When Rakers first saw the pooch, she thought, “Oh my god, I adore this dog.” “She was at the right place at the right time. Since then, we’ve been inseparable.”
Thousands of people voted for Heaven in PEOPLE’s annual World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest, which was sponsored by the PEDIGREE® brand this year. Over 10,000 other lovely rescues, the 38-lb. dog — a mix of chow, Labrador retriever, boxer, and Pekingese — came out on top. A year’s supply of dog food and a $1,000 contribution to the animal shelter of her choosing is among her awards.․․
Heaven, a 3-year-old German Shepherd, is Rakers’ “social butterfly,” she adds. In the last two and a half years, I’ve met some of the most wonderful people I could ever hope to have met had it not been for Heaven.․․
The joyful, laid-back canine known to more than 10,000 Instagram followers as Heaven wasn’t always the case. She was found as a stray in Kentucky and was taken up by Starfish Animal Rescue after being transferred from an overcrowded facility. Heaven was “intensely anxious” about “everything,” particularly males and the outdoors, according to Rakers.․․
Then Rakers started bringing Heaven to parks and dog-friendly companies like Home Depot, where she would train Heaven to get used to a wide range of new experiences.․․
She learned that if she made eye contact with me instead of responding to noises or people passing by, she would get a reward, explains Rakers. With the help of each other, we were able to overcome many of our concerns.․․
As a result, Heaven has become an omnipresent presence in town. (Home Depot even provided her with a little apron.) In addition to going shopping with Rakers, the mutt has also accompanied him on-road excursions to 30 different states. Rakers and Heaven have been to Montana, the Grand Canyon, and the Las Vegas Strip, among other destinations.
It’s possible to stop at a petrol station, and she’ll be delighted, adds Rakers.․․
It is the aim of Rakers that Heaven’s journey and the hurdles she has conquered would inspire others.․․
In her own words, “I feel like the main thing I learned from her was simply to not give up,” she adds. “Early in her existence, Heaven was put through a lot. It’s cruel to put pets through such things. She, on the other hand, is still full of zest for life.”
Aslan and Panda, this year’s runner-ups in the World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest, have joined Heaven in the winner’s circle.․․
First meeting Panda in a Dallas animal shelter in March of 2020 was the beginning of Carly D’Eliseo’s love affair with the pit bull mix. Because of Panda’s devoted nature, her owner has decided to foster more dogs in the hopes that they, too, may find their own forever homes.․․
In December 2020, Matthew Porter and Jennifer Wyckoff Porter acquired Aslan, a 1-year-old chow chow who had been abandoned by his original owners before wandering into Puppy Haven Rescue in Tulsa. Now that Rosie, their first kid, was born this summer, Aslan has taken on the role of “big brother” and enjoys cuddling with and kissing her.
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