A 'senior in need' finds a home

Cuddy graduates as a Canine Good Citizen. Photo by Lina Paesani

A shy, senior dog, spotted in the Bradley Woods area and appearing to be in need, was recently reported to the Westlake Police Department and finally caught by the dog warden after several weeks. Upon his capture, they found that he was extremely underweight, with a severe skin infection and open wounds, causing speculation that he may have been bitten by a coyote or another dog.

Since he was so withdrawn that he would not interact with people, the police department contacted Connie Field from the Love-A-Stray rescue group for help. Love-a-Stray took him in, gave him a new name, “Cuddy”, and volunteer Mary Bertin worked with him to slowly earn his trust.

Following months of care, including surgery to remove skin tumors, Cuddy's physical condition began to improve. With a new lease on life, Love-a-Stray signed him up for a Canine Good Citizen class, hoping he could get some exposure to help him find a forever home. Cuddy not only passed his class, but his handler in the class, Mary, adopted him!

This is truly an amazing rescue story – an elusive stray dog that could not even make eye contact, transformed by caring people in the community into a loving companion dog. A very happy ending for a special "senior in need."

Laura Gonzalez

Bay Village resident

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Volume 5, Issue 22, Posted 10:12 AM, 10.29.2013