Jessica Williams was eager to adopt a dog before her November birthday. She was overjoyed! Jessica’s boyfriend, Jared, ultimately caved after they moved into their pet-friendly apartment. Jessica had several months to go. But she couldn’t stop herself. She merely had to look online to get an idea of what her future pet would be like.
That was her first encounter with him. She had a dog who required her immediate attention. The saddest little face she had ever seen broke her heart.
Benji, a stray found in Los Angeles and taken to a large, noisy city shelter, had a sad little face. He was a shy little man who was allergic to fleas and had lost a lot of fur as a result.
“He was at the shelter for ten days and wasn’t handling it well,” Jessica told The Dodo. “As individuals passed by, he snarled and snapped at them.” I’d never seen a sadder dog, and I knew we couldn’t let him go.”
They knew Benji needed them, so they drove the 6-hour journey from their Sacramento condo to Los Angeles.
The couple was taken away when they came to the shelter and informed the officials that they wanted to adopt Benji. They were fully aware that the dog would necessitate a significant amount of attention and training. The staff even tried to talk Jessica and Jared out of adopting Benji, but they refused.
“The shelter also warned us he wasn’t friendly and wouldn’t take us into a tranquil waiting room to get to know him since ‘he wouldn’t be a dog that would come over to be cuddly,” Jessica added. We knew euthanasia was a viable option for him, and we didn’t want him to die.”
When the couple met Benji, their fears were reinforced. Benji was going to be adopted and welcomed into their small family. After quite a long journey, they signed the documents and came back home.
Benji was terrified during the car ride, but Jessica and Jared understood this was normal. When they got home, Benji started acting just like the shelter professionals had predicted. He seemed distant and uninterested in his new paw rents…
But then, after just a few days, something unusual happened.
Benji realized he wasn’t in any danger anymore. The puppy with the saddest little face, the puppy that no one wanted, started to PLAY! He began to enjoy life rather than play!
“He enjoys coming up and licking our faces and playing with his toys,” Jessica said. “What a jerk he’s become!” He gets extreme zoomies after a bath. He’ll also start barking as soon as we get in the car as if to say, ‘We’ve got to get going!’ ‘All right, let’s go!’
Benji has only been with the family for three weeks, but he has already become a member of the family. He adores going on new experiences with Jessica and Jared.
Benji’s tale reminds us that ALL shelter dogs, regardless of appearance, deserve a chance. Once they escape the scary shelter environment, a million things can happen. Since I was given a genuine chance with a genuine family…
The saddest shelter puppy in the world hasn’t stopped smiling!
Feel free to share this story!
