At the SPCA of Bradley County in Tennessee, Patty Lynn has spent an entire year at the shelter. It’s not as if the shelter staff doesn’t care deeply for her, but this dog’s home is just a 3 ft. x 5 ft. kennel amid other loud barking dogs in a garage; built with concrete walls, concrete floors and a chain link door.
Of course, Patty is fed regularly and gets to go outside twice a day, but her outdoor play and relief area is only just a little larger; the same stressed and frightened barking dogs are all still there.
Patty entered the shelter a year ago; she was a healthy stray when found. She came in as a social dog, happy to meet new people, loved to wiggle her behind and endlessly wag her nub of a tail. At that time Patty even loved the company of the other dogs.
And now slow forward one year, and although people have come and gone, given Patty treats and promised that a real home would soon be coming, nothing ever happened.
Then they leave. Every single time they leave. They do this so often that you stop trusting new people and only trust the shelter staff. They are the ones that show up for Patty every day. They feed her, walk her, take her out for play dates – they love Patty and they are her family.
And now it has been a year since Patty stepped off the shelter’s property, and Patty is not doing okay, and her family here at the shelter is worried about her. She has become unsure of strangers, anxious around other animals, and watching Patty’s mental and psychological health decline is heartbreaking.
Patty will soon be celebrating her eighth birthday, and she yearns to be loved, to explore and to wake up in the morning with a family she knows will not fail her ever again.
As to Patty’s personality, the shelter staff tells us she is quite independent and can entertain herself. She loves being outdoors and plays well with squeaky toys. She doesn’t require a lot of attention, but needs a quiet home where she will be the only pet – at least for a time.
The biggest challenge she needs to overcome is the ability to regain trust. Trust in people, trust in places, trust in change and trust in knowing that there are people willing to give her a chance.
Patty needs our help. Please share her plight with friends, family and social media contacts. Her shelter family can not continue watching her decline in the shelter. Please help her – what a birthday present that special person could bring – a loving home.
For more information about Patty Lynn, please click here.
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