You Gotta Trust The Hand That Feeds You

by Syd Sullins

A multitude of dogs pass through our Ranch gate every year and we really do love them all. But for me, the most memorable ones are those that came in with only fear and distrust of humans, yet transformed into loving happy dogs. And all it took is the love, patience and tenderness of our Ranch hands.

All of the dogs pictured below were totally unsocialized when they arrived. Little Shiloh was found abandoned in a play yard. It took our employees and volunteers three days to be able to put a leash on her so we could be with her in a run. Within days, she was a volunteer favorite. Mellow, gentle and proudly walking on leash.

For others, gaining their trust is a longer process. Little Theodore was abandoned in Riberas by his owners. He was so terrified that he fiercely resisted us when we came to rescue him. When he first came to us, we were rewarded with nothing but snarls and snaps when we went into his run. But slowly, he began to come up to us. He learned to like attention and would be happy to have a volunteer sit with him. Later, he’d cautiously crawl up onto our laps and eventually up onto our shoulders which is now his favorite perch.

Caviar and Cilantro are sisters and they hated people from the day they arrived. They were filthy dirty and covered with fleas so they had to endure a bath and that certainly didn’t endear them to us. They took a lot of patience on our part. Many a day, I’d see a volunteer sitting in their run gently coaxing them to come up for a pet. You could see in their eyes they wanted to come but fear held them back. Eventually they too turned a corner! Now they are happy, affectionate and love our attention.

Being a Ranch Hand isn’t the most glamorous volunteer job in Lakeside, but it certainly offers the opportunity to be part of a small miracle every day.