Windy’s Amazing Transformation
Windy is truly an amazing creature. She has absolutely beautiful big shining eyes, a huggable fluffy body, and at 35 lbs is the perfect size. No dog I have met has had the amazing impact of Windy. It was impossible to meet her and not feel something for her.
People often ask why I choose Windy. I think Windy needed me the most. All homeless animals need something, but Windy needed me.
When I meet Windy her name was Wind Talker, and she had just come to
'Camp Reno' from her previous home in Gabbs, NV. She had completely shut down, and only moved when she was forced. She laid in the bottom of an open crate allowing her kennel mate to sit on top of her to appear as invisible as possible. Windy hid from everyone at the Reno Shelter. She had been raised by her canine friends with no human contact. She was Feral.
Windy came from a
hoarding situation that I volunteered to help with through the
Emergency Animal Rescue Service of United Animal Nations. She was just 1 of 150 dogs that had accumulated in the Nevada desert when an animal rescuer got overwhelmed. Windy was likely born in the dessert and never even knew human companionship.
Because of Windys history she never had the time to learn to trust people. She was scared of the unknown, but not fearful of being hurt.
She lived in my bathtub for 2 weeks when she arrived. Slowly she moved out into the household, and into her new life. I was able to see the real, happy Windy for the first time when I started taking her for walks. Windy loved the park. She would run around having a great time, but never wondering to far from me.
Windy had formed an unbreakable bond with me, and I with her.
Windy was originally just a foster dog for me. She was adopted to a wonderful couple in the East Bay. Within a week she jumped a 5 foot fence and ran into a large park where she hid for two weeks. I traveled to the park a few times in those two weeks to find her, and finally late one night with the help of LJ and a few hot dogs she was safely back in my care. She ran away from the adoptive home one more time, and after finally finding her again they decided they were not able to keep her safe and brought her back to Davis. The day she came back she escaped during transport. She was missing for 4 weeks. This was the most stressful time of my life. I would see her regularly, but always so far away that it was impossible to catch her. Finally one night very late after sitting on the ground for about an hour I was able to coax her to come to me. I had already decided at that point that she would never leave my care.
She remains one of my most important rescues, and is now the newest member of my family.She loves agility, especially tunnels, and going for rides in the car. She is a typical Border Collie who loves to talk all the time. She never ventures far from me, and I am able to have her off leash regularly. I am still amazed each day at how far Windy has come.
