Woman Rescues Dog from Certain Death

LONG BEACH, CA – A local woman adopted a one year old stray dog on December 24, just hours before the animal was scheduled to be euthanized. Cassidy, the Border Collie-Schipperke mixed breed, had been in the Long Beach animal shelter for two weeks.

Dog rescued hours before scheduled euthanasia

Ellen Adams was looking for a second dog as a companion for her one year old Cockerschnoodle.

“The shelter volunteer worked very hard to help me find the right dog,” says Adams. “She listened carefully and asked pertinent questions in order to assist me in the search.”

Joanna Melvin, 46, had been a volunteer at the shelter for three years. “I had a Golden Retriever mix in mind for Ms. Adams, although I did plan to rescue him myself that day if no one else adopted him. He turned out to be too big a dog for the Adams family so we continued to search the kennels.”

The shelter, which has since moved to much larger and better equipped quarters, was unusually crowded with canines. “We always tried to keep the animals longer around Christmastime in the hope that people would adopt them as gifts,” Melvin explains. “There were certainly a lot to choose from, and I knew the dogs who had been there for more than six days would be killed right after Christmas to make room for new ones. We worked especially hard to provide homes for the ‘long-timers’ since their futures were grim if they weren’t adopted.”

Adams walked up and down the aisles of the shelter, looking carefully at each dog. The volunteer leashed potential pets one at a time so Adams could inspect them more closely. “I was beginning to think I would have to go to another shelter,” says Adams, “because I was trying to find a dog with the right temperament to be the perfect companion for Rags, my Cockerschnoodle.”

Shortly before closing time Adams walked the aisles one last time. It was then that she saw the Border Collie mix, cowering in the dark corner of the kennel with the Golden Retriever mixed breed that Melvin had shown her originally. “The old shelter was so poorly lit that I didn’t even see her in the kennel because she was so black,” explains Adams.  “But she opened her mouth and her white teeth caught the light. I moved closer to get a better look and she came right up to the gate and licked my hand. I knew right then that she was the one. She was so happy when I stopped to look at her.”

California did not have a mandatory spay/neuter law at the time so Adams was able to take the dog home with her immediately. Melvin provided a veterinary voucher for the dog to be spayed, which she was the following week.

“I cannot tell you what a joy this dog has been to our family,” says Adams. “She has the perfect temperament; she loves children, cats and other dogs, is exceptionally obedient and eager to please. Plus, she has a terrific sense of humor. You could not ask for a better dog.”

Cassidy and Rags continue to share the Adams home, 13 years later.