PRESS.VIRALWAVE

A Wounded Stray Crossed State Lines And Found The Family That Needed Her

When Northern Lakes Rescue posted Lily’s photos online for the first time, I said to my husband, “We don’t need a third dog, but look at her!” She was severely wounded, had been picked up as a stray, and I could not stop looking at her. Then the second post delivered another blow: she had tested positive for heartworm. Amazingly, Northern Lakes Rescue still said yes to the thousands of dollars in medical bills it would take to put this girl back together.

Black-and-tan shepherd mix stands inside a shelter kennel beside metal food and water bowls, looking toward the camera.

 

Black and white dog in a cage

At the same time Lily was making her way from Texas to Minnesota, we were on our way home from vacation to pick up our dogs. When we arrived, the dog I had already shown my whole family was in my mother’s garage, waiting for her foster. Five minutes later, we knew she was the missing piece of our family.

Black-and-tan shepherd mix sits in green grass outdoors wearing a purple bow tie and looking happily past the camera.

No one warned us that, within a couple of months, we would lose our first dog to leukemia just a week after she got sick. At a time when I could not imagine forming a bond with another dog, Lily woke me up every morning with something new and equally silly. Sometimes she wore a curtain on her head. Sometimes she brought me one shoe, as if checking whether I was ready to put it on.

Black-and-tan shepherd mix stands on wet sand at the beach wearing a purple bow, with a house blurred in the background.

Lily the Shep has changed my life. She is outgoing, expressive, and the center of attention everywhere she goes, sometimes by force. She has pushed me to be social and helped me meet so many new people. She has an appetite for new experiences and always finds a way to show me what she wants to try.

Black-and-tan shepherd mix sits with Santa in front of a decorated Christmas display, wearing a red holiday bandana.

 

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