Lolly the poodle mix was saved from appalling conditions at an Iowa breeding farm, but she would never have been able to find a permanent home without assistance from canine health and behavior specialists.
Lolly was one of the 500 dogs that the ASPCA was able to rescue from a Seymour, Iowa, facility last year. Lolly was discovered by rescuers in a cramped, unclean cage with her recently born brood of puppies, according to the ASPCA.
In addition to her physical illness, she lacked social skills and had a severe dread of people. But Lolly was adopted by one of her vets a year later, and she is currently employed at the ASPCA’s Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC) in Weaverville, North Carolina, where she aids other dogs in healing from their own trauma.
Helper dogs like Lolly, whose owner is Ashley Eisenback, DVM, may offer comfort to nervous dogs throughout their treatments, as many of the dogs at the BRC come from situations that make them scared of day-to-day activities.
In October of last year, Lolly had matted fur, intestinal parasites, dental issues, and ear infections. While medication and medical attention helped with those, her conduct posed a greater problem.
The Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC) is the first institution of its type, according to Darren Young, CPDT-KA, a behavioral rehabilitation expert there. It is a place where dogs that have been the victims of abuse and neglect go to heal from their trauma.
When Lolly and several other dogs from her puppy factory arrived at the BRC, they displayed “severe fear”. They shook, behaved frenzied and scared in a room full of people, cowered in their kennels and did their hardest to avoid humans, and stopped eating and playing with toys.
In particular, Lolly was pacing tensely—so much so that she was perspiring on her paw pads. There was a great deal of work ahead.
She was in such terrible pain that she could not have been adopted if she hadn’t undergone the behavioral and medical care at the ASPCA, according to Young. She wouldn’t be enjoying her life as a family pet and companion animal the way she does now.
Lolly learned to identify good things with people, places, and walking while wearing a leash thanks to the BRC team. She eventually emerged from her shell, eager to work with the handlers every day, and demanding cuddles and attention. She was prepared to complete the program and graduate after six weeks.
She was transported to Eisenback, the senior director of veterinary services at the BRC, at that point because she was experiencing some discharge in the fur behind her eye. In order to spend more time with her children and her other dog, she was looking to get a new dog.
We believed Lolly would be a fantastic fit since she appeared to open up to people very easily, including myself and my assistant, and she was having fun playing with larger dogs at the BRC, she adds.
And she’s fit right in, playing with her dog brother, romping around in her yard, and spending every night with Eisenback’s youngest daughter. She also continues to go with Eisenback to the BRC, where she assists other puppies who are going through trauma as a service dog.
She gives the other dogs more self-assurance so they may be happy and lively around humans and everyday activities. Who doesn’t like a giving dog?