A Siberian Husky named Lilac found it hard to trust humans again. Though the rest of her life was an unknown story, an X-Ray scan revealed that it looks like somebody had aimed a pellet gun at her multiple times. She was rescued by Katie McKittrick and JoAnn Wiltz, two women dedicated to the cause of the Hope For Paws organization.
They headed out to rescue Lilac when they received a phone call from an anonymous man saying that a dog was living in an elementary school for more than nine months. Once they reached their destination, they saw schoolchildren throw watermelon bits at her.
Lilac was tremendously scared, but she was just as hungry. She didn’t even dare come any closer to the two women once she saw them. The rescuers had to throw hamburger bits to her across the street and slowly lure her into coming closer to JoAnn.
It was hard and took a lot of patience since a single step closer to the canine will cause her to move away quickly, so she had to time her movements perfectly so that their plan would work. Once Lilac moved too close, JoAnn took the chance to have a firm grip around her neck while Lilac struggled wildly.
JoAnn comforted Lilac and reassured her that everything was fine. Katie and their male companion helped prepare the cage so they could take her to the shelter. She was so scared she didn’t even bother to move, JoAnn had to carry her inside the cage and had her transported to their destination.
Upon their arrival, Lilac was so scared that it was evident in her dilated pupils. Both women tried to reassure her, and she didn’t act aggressively when they bathed her. They found a lot of burs and thorns stuck in her fur, and after that, she was placed in a room.
It was so sad to see Lilac when she went inside her room, and she faced the metal wall, not even glancing at the people. She didn’t act threatening, but she still didn’t trust them.
She was visited by JoAnn the following day, and still, she preferred to face the wall. JoAnn tried to comfort her again shortly before she was shaved and sedated. With the help of their friend, Blake Bedirian, he had successfully removed over 300 thorns, burs, and foxtails from her skin.
Lilac was soon sent to train at Board and Behaved, where she would soon face her fears. She still didn’t trust anyone, but seeing that the other dogs around her made her feel relaxed. For the first time, she had approached a human with ease. This was a good sign of recovery.
Five months later, she found her owner, Tanja, who never ran out of patience and love for Lilac. Every day they would go to the mountains, and Lilac had plenty of other dogs whom she loves to play with in the water.
She was finally happy again and is living in contentment with her owner now. Thank you to the dedicated people at the Hope For Paws.
