Shelby has successfully completed five weeks of heartworm treatment and is doing well! Although she is still on restricted activity, her foster family can now gradually begin to increase her activity level. In addition, she is scheduled for her vaccinations and shortly thereafter will be undergoing her spaying. Shelby is well on her way to a happy, healthy new life.

Shelby continues to be a perfectly mannered, calm, quiet collie. She walks well on a leash, loves to go for rides in the car, and gets along beautifully with her foster, canine sibling. She is good with children and is friendly with visitors to her foster home. Shelby is unfazed by the normal household noises that frequently send some dogs into hysterics (vacuum cleaner, coffee grinder, doorbell, etc.) and she never barks in the house. Although she likes her crate, she is so well behaved that her foster mom never needs to crate her.

Thanks to her heartworm treatment and the loving care of her foster family, Shelby’s physical ailments are almost completely healed. It will take a little longer to heal the emotional trauma that she suffered during her time as a lost, homeless collie. She does not like to be left alone, and always stays close to her foster mom or her buddy, the resident sheltie. She will cry if her foster mom has to leave her, but is alright as long as her sheltie friend is there to comfort her.

As part of Shelby’s emotional rehabilitation, she has adopted a “Fur Real” toy lion cub that was given as a Christmas present to the young daughter in her foster family. Although she had previously shown no interest in toys, Shelby immediately “cub-napped” this realistic, stuffed toy and carries it everywhere with her. She spends hours licking and grooming it, and is only separated from it when her foster mom puts it on the radiator to dry. It is uncertain whether Shelby considers the cub to be her puppy or if it is just her security blanket in a world that was once a very lonely place for her. In either case, it is heartwarming to watch her grooming and caring for her toy.

Shelby will soon be ready for her forever home. She will need a family that will make up for the loneliness that she has endured by showering her with love and attention. If her family will need to leave her for prolonged periods, she will almost certainly need a canine companion. Shelby is a very special girl, who will repay her family’s love with the kind of care and devotion that she has shown to her little stuffed toy.

New to Rescue!

Shelby is a sweet natured collie girl who was picked up by animal control when she was found wandering along a highway near Fairfax, Minnesota. When she tested positive for heartworm, MWCR agreed to take her in and help her through her treatment and recovery.

Shelby has a beautiful sable and mahogany coat, and weighs a trim 54 pounds. She is estimated to be between three and four years old. She has a mild mannered, gentle nature that makes her a joy to be around.

We will never know how this sweet girl ended up homeless, but when she arrived at her foster home the night before Thanksgiving, it was evident that she had been through an ordeal. She was confused, frightened and trembling. Since then, however, she has gradually come to realize that she is in a safe place. Her sheltie foster siblings have helped Shelby relax, and she gets along well with them. She is extremely well behaved in the house, enjoys sleeping in her crate and has had no housetraining accidents. She is a very quiet, gentle girl.

Shelby has had her first heartworm treatment, and because of her youth and general good health, her prognosis is good. She needs to spend several weeks resting and recovering from her treatment, but once she is fully recovered she will go back to the vet to be spayed. Shelby’s heartworm treatments are expensive, and any donations to help with her expenses will be gratefully accepted.

Check back for periodic updates and to learn when Shelby will be ready for her forever home.

Shelby is being fostered in Duluth, MN.