As a puppy, Smokey was adopted by a loving family who loved him and gave him lots of toys. What really stood out among them was a stuffed elephant with oversized ears that Smokey treasured more than anything else. He could have broken it in a split second, but he handled it with great care, carried it with him for walks, and held it every night as he went to bed.
For five happy years, Smokey grew up in a home filled with love and care. But when he turned five, his life took an unexpected turn and everything he knew was about to change.
Smokey’s world fell apart when his owner lost his job and financial hardships began to take their toll. Downsizing their home wasn’t enough to make a living, and feeding Smokey became a challenge. Desperate to find a solution, his family reached out to friends and acquaintances in hopes that someone would care for him. But no one could accommodate a dog as big as Smokey.
Knowing they would lose their home, the family intensified their efforts to rehouse Smokey. Unfortunately, it became clear that there were no more options left. With no other option, they made the heartbreaking decision to surrender him to a shelter. On their last day together, they took Smokey to the shelter along with his beloved stuffed elephant and said a tearful goodbye that would change their lives forever.
But Smokey was devastated. The sudden loss of his family and adjusting to an unfamiliar and chaotic shelter environment were too much for him to bear. The bright and lively spirit he once had was gone. Extreme anxiety set in and Smokey stopped interacting with everyone. He didn’t play much, didn’t eat much, and didn’t respond to comfort from shelter volunteers. Instead, he retreated to the corner of the crate, holding his precious elephant, the last vestige of the life he had lost.
Shelters scrambled to adopt him as quickly as possible, as accommodations for the animal were extremely limited. Photos of him and the elephant caught the attention of potential adopters, and the shelter was very hopeful that he would be adopted soon.
But every time the family came to check if they were connected to him, he would hide in the corner of the room. When they tried to get to him, he got so scared that he let out a growl. When he started showing signs of aggression, the shelter was forced to take him off the list of “adoptable dogs.” Unfortunately, this effectively put him on death row and he was on his way to being executed.
The shelter did not have the space or capacity to house the dog, so the dog could not be adopted. So the date was set. By then he had to be adopted or he would be euthanized. However, the shelter had no intention of giving up. They didn’t want Smokey to die.
So they started looking for other rescuers who could take Smokey. They knew he would do much better once he got out of the stressful shelter environment. Thankfully, The I Have A Dream rescue organization swooped in and rescued him in the nick of time. They promised to find him the perfect foster home and to be incredibly patient to find him the forever family of his dreams.
Everything changed as soon as he moved into foster care. All the stress I felt at the evacuation center seemed to disappear. Suddenly he had so much energy and was so happy to play. Much sooner than they expected, his guardians decided to make him available for adoption again.
But first, they wanted to contact his former family to see if they could take care of him again. Unfortunately, they weren’t in the right financial position to bring him back yet. They were just thankful that he wasn’t killed, was saved, and was able to live a wonderful life.
A photo of her cradling her beloved stuffed elephant has become very popular on social media. That’s why Smokey, with his favorite stuffed animal in tow, found out he was his wonderful new forever family not long after we officially applied for adoption.
Check out Smokey’s heartfelt story of hope below.
Featured image: YouTube
