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What's it like to sit in a kennel at a shelter for two years? What's it feel like to be cast aside time and time again ? What's it like to feel scared, timid, and rejected? Look into those brown eyes and ask Sparkie.
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| Sparkie came to the shelter on 7/24/02. He was shy, but gentle. He was house broken as he seldom messed his kennel at the shelter. He was loving to the people he'd come to know at PAWS. Yet, some one had discarded him.
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| He waited a year before he was finally adopted the first time on 7/21/03. When this family decided to move, they opted to leave him behind and brought him back to PAWS. Once again, he was to sit in the shelter and wait for a family who really wanted him.
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Sparkie was adopted for the second time on 3/15/04, but that didn't last long. He was returned to PAWS a month later. He barked too much at strangers and would growl when fearful. He was easily cast aside once again.
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| Sparkie sat in his kennel for almost another year. Although PAWS provides the basics for their animals - food, shelter, medical treatment, etc., it's not a home. PAWS Animal Welfare Committee decided it was time to contact Michele, who works with rescues across the country, to post him on some rescue sites to help Sparkie find his forever home.
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| Michele never gives up on an animal once they're been referred to her for rescue. She never gave up on Sparkie.
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Michele didn't waste any time listing Sparkie on three rescue sites. She had a lot of inquiries, but none seemed to pan out......except one! Last Hope Rescue contacted Michele and said they could place Sparkie in foster care until a forever home could be found for him. Last Hope Rescue was possibly Sparkie's last hope literally of finding a good home.
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| Putting in hours to get one of our PAWS animals from being placed in rescue to a forever home is all in a days (sometimes several weeks or months) work for Michele. Once all the details had been arranged, Sparkie would be on his way to his foster home.
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| Transport day! Sparkie was to travel with his old friend Kristie to his foster home. Kristie was a familiar face at PAWS for Sparkie. Making the trip with a friend would perhaps lesson the feelings of fear and anxiety of leaving.
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Saying good-bye is always bitter sweet. Over the two years that Sparkie had spent at PAWS, Kristie and Sparkie had become good friends.
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| Kristie recalls picking up Sparkie from the Ames, IA vet after his neutering in 2002. It was a 2 hour drive back to PAWS and Sparkie was reluctant getting back into his travel kennel for the trip. Kristie decided they should just sit a bit and relax to help alleviate his fear. It worked and Sparkie had Kristie wrapped around his paw ever since!
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| During Sparkie's stay at the shelter, Kristie always tried to give him a little extra attention as he was a bit shy with people. There were a lot of walks and "talks" shared between the two of them in two years. That unconditional love that an animal can give was a special gift from Sparkie to Kristie. If Kristie had a bad day, Sparkie was always there to listen and he loved her no matter what.
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Kristie could never understand why Sparkie was passed by for so long. He was such a good boy. She felt all he needed was to be shown a little bit of patience so he could become accustomed to people. People misunderstood his growl as aggression. Sparkie wasn't aggressive. He was loving and gentle, but lacked confidence in people. Sparkie never gave up trying to trust and love even though he was a bit fearful.
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| Some final words of reassurance that everything was going to be ok from Kristie. One last "talk" between friends.
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| Sparkie in the back seat of Kristie's SUV and ready to start his journey.
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