Several weeks ago, one of our board of directors was driving down a 2 lane highway at night. Her husband spotted a dog that looked like a Sheltie. They called 2 more board of directors and all assembled in the gravel parking lot of an abandoned business.It was evident that this poor dog had been out for quite a while. From a distance, even at night, you could see the abundant mats and tell how skinny this dog was. Someone drove to get a trap, and someone else went to get the magic trap bait - Kentucky Fried Chicken! Early the next morning, the trap was checked but no dog. Over the course of the next 7 1/2 weeks, many things were learned. One was that this dog was not going into any trap. We tried 3 different ones and baited them with everything we could think of (KFC, canned cat food, canned dog food, tuna, etc.). We also learned that several people had been feeding her off and on for maybe as long as 2 years! No one had been successful in capturing this dog. We starting calling her Gypsy. Many a night, one or two of us sat in the gravel parking lot to feed her and try to befriend her. As time went on, we thought of several ways to try to get her. None of them worked. We went and talked to the local animal control. Since we had gotten her eating relatively close to our vehicles, it was decided that shooting her with a tranquilizer gun was going to be the best way to get her. On the chosen morning, everyone awoke to a soggy day. It looked like it the rescue mission would have to be postponed, but then the 'window of opportunity' opened. It quit raining and Gypsy came into the parking lot waiting to be fed. The animal control officer got into a back seat. The window was rolled down just a few inches. In a flash, the officer had gotten a good shot and was successful. Gypsy jumped and ran into the woods. Two FSSR board members and the officer set about to find her. It was not an easy job. The woods were dense and the trees were wet! Finally she was located. She wasn't completely out, but she was crouching down and swaying. She was probably thinking 'what the heck is going on and why do I feel so sleepy?' A control stick noose was placed around her neck and we carried her to the truck.

She was taken to the shelter to be 'processed.' She was given her vaccinations and tested for heartworms. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, she tested positive. This shelter is rescue friendly and released her directly to us. Without their help, this girl would still be living on the streets.

We have found this girl to be very sweet. She is still a little skittish, but she is doing great for being in a home setting after all the time living on the streets. She even seems to be housebroken. The vet found a spay scar, so she was someone's baby at one time. She gets along fine with other dogs and has decided that up on a bed is her favorite place to hang out!

We generally only have room for and funds for helping purebred Shelties. In this case, by the time we found out she wasn't a purebred, our hearts told us we could not give up on her. She needed our help. She has successfully completed heartworm treatment and is ready for a new home. She is a quiet, well behaved girl. If you are interested in finding out more about Gypsy, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .