Unfortunately, thousands of dogs live in the world without homes, and these strays are often subject to abuse and malnourishment. With the help of animal shelters, we sometimes get to hear happy stories of dogs being rescued. We don't get to hear these stories as often as we would like to, so we have to make them count when we do. This story, in particular, is amazing and will be sure to warm your heart!
It's sad to think of how many potential pets don't have homes. There are large numbers of strays throughout the world, and it simply isn't possible for them all to be adopted. Luckily, animal shelters exist and help to find homes for these animals.
Charleston Animal Society is an animal shelter that helps to try and combat this issue. Their policy is "No Kill, No Harm, No More," and they are strictly a no-kill shelter, meaning they don't put down the pets that they can't find homes for.
Gumby is one dog with a heart-warming, fascinating story. Most of his story involves the Charleston Animal Society, who have gone on a journey to provide a home for this dog that might still be a stray without their help.
Gumby is a dog with a particular bone about wandering around. In the past, he would seem to take off all the time and when he was around the age of 4 years old, the animal shelter found him wandering around in Southern Carolina.
Interestingly, by all accounts, when they met Gumby he seemed healthy. He was (and still is) a cute dog that was overtly friendly to the staff at the Charleston Animal Society. They believed that he would be adopted in no time at all!
Gumby was adopted not long after he arrived at the Charleston Animal Society--much to their content. They were happy to place him into a nice, loving home. Unfortunately, the first household that adopted him actually ended up donating him back to the shelter three days later.
Even worse, Gumby's journey didn't end there. Not by a long shot. Gumby was adopted a second time after that, and this adoption only lasted a very short amount of time as well. Don't worry though, we promise that this story has a happy ending!
For the next few years, this was Gumby's life. This dog would be adopted from the shelter, and then would eventually be dropped back off by people who had decided that they were not ready for the commitment of looking after him.
The report says that Gumby's experience here lasted two years, in which time he had been given back to the shelter and adopted over, and over again. This totalled 8 different times that he was returned, and 3 times that he was rescued again from the street by the shelter.
As it turned out, the staff discovered that Gumby had a very special talent. During his returns to the shelter, they noticed that he had the ability to make the other dogs who had recently been introduced to the shelter feel more calm.
Gumby has been titled the "Ambassa-Dog" by the staff, and the amazing news is that he now works with the team to help the new dogs. Luckily, now Gumby has a home for life. And the story only gets more wholesome from here!
Additionally, Gumby continues to put positivity into the world. This helping companion actually has a small amount of blood taken from him by the staff (not in a cruel way) every once in awhile, and this donation is used to help treat kittens that have eye infections.
One particular member of the staff fell so in love with Gumby, that when it was time for him to retire, she actually took him with her. Gumby lives with his new owners (who worked alongside him at the Charleston Animal Society) for many years, and is reportedly as happy as can be.
Recently, the Charleston Animal Society decided to update Gumby's fans on what his life has been like since then. In a long facebook post, they said that: "Gumby has NEVER tried to escape! He's such a mama and daddy's boy...he's glued to our sides at all times, and we can open the apartment door and let him off leash inside our building without worrying!"
Despite the heart-warming ending of this story, it is still important to remember that many dogs do not get as lucky as Gumby did. Had this shelter not been a 'no kill shelter' Gumby's fate could have been much worse.
