Ferris-Wheel
Legacy Name: Ferris-Wheel

The Saturday before Memorial Day, 2013, my dad and I took an impromptu trip to the Kent County SPCA. Seein as how I had been holding out for a corgi and dad was holding out for a greyhound, we really had no intention of adopting. Out trip was more out of curiosity than anything.

We spent about 30 minutes looking at the dogs. Most of them were very friendly and wanted attention. It wasn't until we were about to leave that I saw a little brindle dog with huge bat-like ears hiding in the back of her kennel. I'm not sure if I overlooked her or if she was hiding outside when I passed her kennel the first time I walked by, but when I finally laid eyes on her, my heart melted.

I decided to have this little dog taken out of her kennel for a bit of personal time to see if we could get along. Usually, when SPCA volunteers take a dog out of their kennels, they take them outside in a fenced off area for some cuddles and play time with would be adopters. This little dog was painfully shy and scared of everyone and everything and had to be taken to a small room with toys and treats so she didn't get too upset. As we walked past the other dogs and people looking at them, the people turned around and scoffed and laughed at the "pathetic" excuse of a dog.

I found out the dog's name was Ferris, short of Ferris Wheel and she had been severely abused. It was obvious. Ferris stood hunched over near the corner of the room and shook as she looked around at the volunteer, my dad and me. Her huge ears were down and her big brown eyes cried for help. It was obvious she couldn't tell who she could and could not trust.

It took about five minutes of coaxing to get Ferris to come around. All the while, the volunteer told us about what little they knew about Ferris and her past. She was at least a year and a half to two years old and had already given birth to a litter of puppies, as evident by her teats hanging low. She suffered from mange which was just starting to heal when we first met her, made obvious by the bald patches on her body. Worst of all was the fact that someone had taken a baseball bat to her right hind leg and broke it.

Ferris finally came around, first to my dad who she gave a few kisses to, then to me. She drowned me in kisses and I knew right then and there that she was my dog.

As I said before, it was an impromptu trip and dad and I originally had no intention of adopting. We didn't have any food, bowls, a leash or toys for a dog. Still, we quickly signed the adoption papers and paid the holding fee and anticipated the coming Tuesday when we would be able to pick her up.

The first we we had her, Ferris was a catatonic mess. For the first two days, she hid in her little box and wouldn't come out for anything. For three days, she wouldn't go potty or eat anything. It was a long week, but it was worth it.

After a while, we started to see a pattern in how Ferris reacted to other people. She would pee herself if someone she didn't know walked near her, she was (and still is) afraid of young children, particularly little boys, she wouldn't walk in front of us and she didn't like to be petted a certain way, amongst other things.

After a few months, it seemed the right amount of cuddles, treats and toys helped her come around a lot. She was and probably always will be very wary of other people, but she warmed up to some of our neighbors almost instantly.

As of March, 2014, we've had Ferris for 10 months and while things aren't perfect and may never be, every day gets better and better. Ferris is much more open about walking around the house, something she was afraid to do the first couple of months. She's very attached to me and is an amazing guard dog. Ferris loves life, cats (but they don't love her,) snow (her favorite treat,) her red squeaky ball and cuddles. It's a lot more than she ever got before.

The extent of her mange when we got her.

Her fur has grown in beautifully.

Ferris during one of her first snowfalls. Yummy!

Ferris and Mommy, taken March 15th, 2014. A very different dog than when we first got her.

Update: March 13th, 2015

A lot has happened since I adopted Ferris. She and I moved, she got to meet my fiance when he came to visit and now she's living with her "uncle" Duce who is my mom's German Shepherd. She has become more independent. She doesn't sleep in my bed at night anymore. That's what the sofa in the living room is for. She has gotten a lot better with other people. She doesn't pee herself anymore (thank God) but she still acts very dominant over other dogs.

Ferris is doing great. She's healthy, happy and spoiled rotten. She's going to stay that way as long as I live.

Originally coded by: dreamsky
Edited by: User not found: deathy
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