The dogs had been kept in a chicken coop their entire lives, were under-socialized, terrified, and scheduled to be euthanized within days. In a remarkable display of support, the PAWS community came together and all of the dogs were saved hours before they were set to be put to sleep.

We knew that it would be a long road to rehabilitate such intelligent, sensitive dogs who had been shown the worst of humanity. In fact, PAWS was the only rescue group in the county who came through for these dogs. Other rescue groups believed that these dogs were “beyond hope.” But the volunteers at PAWS believed in the power of second chances and knew that our talented foster homes had the ability to perform miracles.

And what a miracle it has been to watch these dogs!

Where are they now?

Two of the six are in adoptive homes and the remaining four continue to make strides each and every day. We know that it may takes years of rehabilitation, but have promised these Aussies we will be with them every step of the way. PAWS strongly believes that dogs should not be euthanized for being terrified and under-socialized when they are victims of cruelty and neglect.

In fact, it is these dogs that in greatest need of monumental efforts by the rescue community.

Please enjoy the updates below on each one of the dogs. If you are interested in adopting, please click on the photo to be taken to the dog’s petfinder link. If you support the work we do at PAWS, consider making a donation. Sadly, one of the rescue groups that had promised to sponsor all the veterinary costs for the Aussies never followed through and left PAWS with a large outstanding bill. Your support is greatly appreciated!

(Click here to donate)

Many thanks,

The Pups and Volunteers at PAWS
Especially Rusty, Rose, Jacob, Suzie, Lucy, and Reds

Jacob

Jacob’s foster Mom Dusan is a former PAWS adopter who immediately emailed and offered to open her home to an Aussie in need. Her adopted PAWS dog, Rocky, had come to her while recovering from a broken leg and survived an abusive home. Rocky had flourished in her care and she knew that he may be her best resource to help teach Jacob that he did not need to be afraid anymore!

Jacob arrived underweight and spent the first few days at her home shaking and curled up in the corner. Slowly, he started to come around and experience what life was like outside of the chicken coup. Jacob’s new favorite activities include frolicking in the grass and doing this funny howl/ yodel like noise every time he sees his foster Mom or Dad. He even attended his first dinner party a few days ago. The guests who had met him a few weeks prior commented that they could not believe it was the same dog! Jacob is well on his way to getting his forever home…

Lucy- Adopted!

Lucy is now Daisy! She has been adopted by Laura and Scott and is enjoying her life with her new forever family. Lucy was welcomed into her new home with an endless array of treats, toys, and a bed that Laura had made especially for her!

Lucy was fostered by former PAWS adopter Donna who immediately fell in love with her, “morning kisses and the best bum wiggle ever!” Lucy became instant friends with Donna’s PAWS rescue dog Isabella and her older yellow lab. She quickly learned that Kong’s were just the greatest creation and that it was ok to eat her food in front of people. She found a “safe spot” under a desk in the living room and captured the heart of her entire foster family. It was very difficult for them to say goodbye to her, but it we keep reminding Donna that Lucy is only alive because she opened up her heart and home to a dog that the rest of the world had turned its back on. Thanks to Donna, Lucy will spend the rest of her life being spoiled by her adoring family.

Reds

Reds is one of the more troubled dogs in the group. She arrived to her foster dad Dave and simply refused to leave her crate or eat anything. When he tried to put her on a leash to take a short walk around the backyard, she thrashed around and nearly strangled herself. Dave built her a small penned-in area where she could spend the majority of the day in her crate and only have to take a few scary steps out of that crate to use the bathroom. He also discovered that she had a weakness for fresh cooked steak and bologna.

Slowly, over these last two months, Reds is making progress. She has since taken to leaving her crate and sleeping on the bed with Dave. Reds’ senses are easily overloaded and every experience is a new one to her. Dave’s endless patience and calm demeanor are helping to revive this gorgeous creature who was a shell of a dog when she first arrived.

Rose

Rose was dealt an extra challenge of having heartworm disease when she was pulled from the shelter. She endured the difficult heartworm treatment and has made a full recovery! Rose, like her litter-mates, is very timid and shy- but she is the most beautiful and gentle creature that you will ever meet. She has discovered that she loves comfortable surfaces and has basically taken up residence on the couch at her foster home. Rose’s foster Mom, Elly, also happens to be a dog trainer and has been working hard with her on making the transition from being locked in a prison to a life of freedom and love. Rose is still at the stage where she prefers to hang back and take it all in- but her love of her foster Mom is evident. Every time Elly walks in the room, Rose will start to wiggle with excitement. Rose is an extraordinary animal who continues to thrive each day and amaze us with her spirit..

Rusty

Of all the Aussies, Rusty is the one who is having the hardest time and who will need the most work. Rusty was also plagued with heartworm disease and is finally feeling better. He was practically catatonic when he first came from the shelter. He would sit in his crate for days on end and refuse to even use the bathroom. All of us were so worried and wondered whether he could ever overcome his severe anxiety after years of abuse. With Rusty, we are thrilled for even the smallest amount of progress. When he started to come out of his crate to sit on the dog bed, we were overjoyed. Aussies are extremely sensitive dogs and Rusty seems to be the most profoundly affected by his previous life. We keep telling him that he can take as long as he needs because PAWS will make sure he never has another thing to fear for the rest of his life…

Suzie- Adopted!

Meet the mother who did her very best to keep her puppies safe for all these years amongst these horrible conditions.. Suzie is remarkable and quickly showed us that she was ready for her new life outside of the chicken coop. She was fostered by seasoned Aussie rescuer Cheryl who helped transition her to a life of luxury.

After only a few weeks, Cheryl told us that she had wonderful news! A family that had adopted another Australian Shepherd from her a few years before that and were looking for another Aussie. They lived on a farm and could give Suzie the life she had always dreamed of. The family met Suzie and the rest is history. She is now loving life on the farm with her incredible new family… Congratulations Suzie- Now it is your turn to be taken care of!

We were thrilled to receive this letter from her. After a little TLC from one of our incredible adopters, she’s a whole new dog!

Hi everyone,

It’s me LILLY!

The first 2 photos are of ME, when I first got to my foster Mommy’s house – as you can see I was very scared and very thin and frail. Wow, now look at ME!! My new Mommy bought me a special outfit to celebrate my very first 4th of July as a “FREE” dog!!! And now as you can see, I can now sleep in a cozy bed, without a care in the world!! I’m especially happy because I’ve kinda fallen in love with Scooter! He’s very thoughtful and gentle around me and makes me feel safe. We also like to play on the bed at night before we go to sleep. He LOVES it because he can chase me around the bed and I can’t get away from him because I’m too scared to jump down by myself! But, I let him think he’s winning – you know, the male ego!!

FiFi is my big sister – when I first arrived I was a little afraid of her because she is so rambunctious and lively and it scared me a little, but now, I really like her and enjoy following her around the garden and learning from her what to sniff and smell. I love to go into my Mommy’s antique store every day and am now so brave and confident that I like to sit in FiFi’s bed in the window and watch the people go by. My Mommy is so proud of the progress that I have made and the customer’s can’t believe that I’m the same dog from just 3 months ago who used to hide in the back room in the corner under a blanket, so scared, but thinking, that if I couldn’t see the world, then no one could see/hurt me. But, I now know as long as my Mommy is close by, she’ll never let anyone hurt me, and I like that!

I also just loooooove to drive in the car, sharing the same car seat as Scooter. We go everywhere with Mommy and its great because Scooter has a lovely big and comfy dog stroller and because I have problems learning how to walk from one place to another, I get to sit in it with him and watch the world go by. I don’t even mind when people stop and pet us, although I still tend to coward away when it’s a man. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze when FiFi’s legs get tired and she decides to join us, but I don’t mind! I’m a very easy going little girl and starting to come out of my shell every day…..

Thanks everyone!!! As you can see I’m very happy nowadays! I love my new home and am starting to realize every day that maybe I won’t be leaving and can stay here forever! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

I’ll have my Mommy send you more photos and maybe a short video of how happy I am…….

Thanks again, Lilly xxoo

Lilly on her first day... a bit shy.

Lilly on her first day... a bit shy.

Lilly's "Independence Day" outfit!

Taking a nap on the Fourth of July!

Lilly cuddling with her siblings.

My name is Angie and I’m a 7 year old Jack-a-Bee, which is a hybrid breed of dogs developed by crossing a Jack Russell Terrier with a Beagle.

I was picked up as a stray in Tennessee, so nobody knows my story. Unfortunately I ended up at a high kill shelter and my future was almost non-existent, but my luck was about to change. I was saved by a rescue league in New England called PAWS and they put me on a truck for up north and then found me a forever home.

When I first got to my new home I would play with my cousin, Ruby, who is a Boxer/Rottweiler with a massive head. My favorite play activity was to stick my little head inside Ruby’s open mouth We would do that all day. My mom would be so nervous!

One day my human cousin Shannon was teaching me to sit. Ruby was with me but she already knew how to sit. Shannon would say “SIT” and even though Ruby was sitting, I wasn’t sure what Shannon wanted me to do. So

Ruby must have been impatient because she took her paw, put it on my rear end, and pushed me into the sitting position! Everyone said they wished they had a video camera because nobody was ever going to believe it.

At first things were going well but my walking became difficult so my mom took me to the hospital. When the x-rays came back they showed that my backside was sprayed with bullets. Everyone is wondering who would shoot such a sweet Angel?

That was the cause of my bad walking but we fixed everything up with surgery. Another happy ending for me!

Sometimes when I’m so happy I will start wagging my tail like crazy. When I wag my tail, my whole body wags, which is really cute and I love to give kisses…

Milo in February

Back in February, long time PAWS volunteer foster and adoption coordinator Jenn Frankavitz took in an amazing dog named Milo.

Poor little Milo was found wandering on a very busy street, cold, emaciated and without any hair due to an unknown illness. He was terrified and brought in to my vet’s office for his 10 day stray hold…

When I met Milo he was reluctant to come out of his kennel, but as soon as he smelled cookies we were best friends! He had the sweetest disposition and I knew he was well worth saving. I could tell from the look and smell that Milo had demodectic mange. I knew I had to help this guy recover from an illness that is totally preventable and without hesitation said, “Yes, I’ll take him!”

Jenn chronicled Milo’s road to recovery on a blog – and what a journey it was! In just three short months, Milo went from being a sick and emaciated stray to a happy, healthy and loving house dog.

On May 30, Milo began a new journey as he moved into his forever home.

A Letter from Milo’s Forever Home

I wanted to tell you how lucky we are to have the little boy. Losing Sally really sucked. In fact we’ve lost three dogs in about as many years – first Sam the beagle (13), then Zack the big (100 lbs) blond golden and most recently Sally – our first rescue pit – 12. Not a good idea to have a pile of dogs so close in age.

Sally was a sweetheart. Tossed out of a pickup headed down the highway when she was a pup, she was picked up by a schoolbus driver, rushed to our local vet and after some months of care, my wife found her there, up for adoption.

I hadn’t been without a dog since I was six, but I thought we’d wait until summer’s end to find someone new. This, of course, was not to be. Leslie forwarded me Milo’s story and photos and that was that.

We love him very much and I can’t help but wonder how he spent the first two years of his life.

We both do our best never to leave him alone for very long. At my boatshop everyone brings their dogs (these days we’ve got a lovely old fat girl lab, a beagle, a brittany spaniel and bichon frise.

I’m slowly introducing Milo to everyone. He loves the lab but still unsure of all the others. So he mostly stays very close to me no matter where I am.

But Milo sure loves people. I’m a volunteer firefighter/EMT and when Leslie’s not home on my duty nights, I bring Milo to the ambulance building where he’s loved by everyone there. I bring his crate and snacks so he can be cozy when I’m out on a call (calls usually taking me away for an hour or so at most).

We’ll keep you all posted.

Milo with dad at the boatshop

Milo with his human brothers and sisters

Betsy is doing very well. We are getting in a ton of walks each day and have found a really nice Skate Park in Lincoln, RI. We have been taking her with us in the car whenever we can and she does great. Today has been a lazy day she has slept quite a lot.

She is great with everyone we have introduced her too. She is absolutely amazing in her crate, no issues at all. We have been given her a frozen Kong filled with biscuits and peanut butter and play some music when we both have to head out to work.

I’ve attached a bunch of photos and will continue to keep you updated. Hope all is well.

Thanks,
Ryan & Alana

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Evie was shot by an off-duty policeman who mistook her for a vicious Pit Bull. Now she’s living large with Meg and Eric!

Evie is adjusting very well! Mr. Pants as well!

She slept through the night, a little mumbling when Mr. Pants barks, but she quiets down quickly. Right now all three of us are resting (sleeping) in the man cave. She loves her pillow bed and blanket.

Thank you for giving us a wonderful addition to our family! She’s just an adorable beautiful girl. She sat on Eric’s lap last night as if she always belonged there! He was in dog heaven =)

We are truly blessed and very happy!!!

- Meg & Eric

Another happy ending…

It has been just about a month now since we adopted Travis for my parents and they are all doing great.

When I was visiting my parents today it is like Travis had lived there forever. He is such a good boy

He loves to look out the window and check out what is going on, on the street. He has met many of the neighborhood dogs as well as the other dogs in the family and they are all very compatible. My dad said he does really well on a leash and before we got all the snow this past week they were going on daily walks.

Coming from a large family (seven brothers and eleven grandchildren) there is always company at my parent’s home and Travis always greets everyone at the door with a wag and a toy. My parents have gotten so attached to Travis in such a short time.

Thank you both again for all your help in the adoption of Travis. He is truly the perfect pet for my parents.

Now named Oliver, this incredible boy continues to thrive in what may be one of the most amazing homes we have ever found. Joanne and Gary, Oliver’s parents, have spoiled this boy rotten! He vacations with them to Florida each year and spends his free time playing with his Weimaraner brother Shadow and lounging around the house getting belly rubs.

Recently, Oliver has had more and more difficulty walking. PAWS thought the ole boy could use some hot wheels, so we sent this wheelchair from his buddies at PAWS. Joanne and Gary say he is doing great learning how to use it and it zipping around the neighborhood!

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