Found, Against All Odds: Abandoned Pet Rescue’s Story of Harry
This is the one they’ll never forget. The dog who was found, against all odds, two years later and from clear across the country.
Harry, an 11-year-old senior Shepherd mix, was found standing steadfast over another dog’s body and refused to leave. It took Fort Lauderdale’s Abandoned Pet Rescue (APR) volunteers, Phil and Pam Voss, two weeks to get him and, for the next two years, Harry lived at APR as Cesar. He was safe, well-cared for, but the lights were off in Harry’s eyes. “He was just existing,” described Susie Hansen, an original board member, who runs the shelter.
Domestic violence separated her from her dogs
That is until the day, against all odds, the shelter received a phone call. Could your Cesar be our Harry? The woman calling lived in California and she had never stopped looking. Thanks to social media, she’d seen a picture. “Try calling him Harry and see if he responds,” she suggested. Sure enough, Harry did.
A victim of domestic violence, she had fled her Florida home for California, unable to take her two dogs. In retribution, her husband dumped them on the street, and when Harry was found standing over his dead brother, Spike, he’d been a stray for at least a month, all skin and bones and with serious liver problems.
It took a village, including a network of truckers called Operation Roger, a Texas-based company who transport rescued pets across state lines to shelters and forever homes, to get Harry to where he belonged. But once he saw his mom again, Harry literally wept with joy and those lights came back on for the rest of his days.
Two very happy souls. Harry with his mom, Celia, in California.
Harry’s tale is a perfect example of what Abandoned Pet Rescue does. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, this is the little engine that could, taking in abandoned and surrendered dogs and cats and giving them a safe haven. There’s no ticking time clock for their 300+ animals, like at many “no kill” shelters, which will kill when they are overburdened and an animal seems unadoptable.
APR is honoring its 20th with the March 12th fundraiser, Round Up for Rescue: Howdy Hugs & Kowboy Kisses, a Western-themed hoedown, complete with live music and live and silent auctions. Go now to Abandoned Pet Rescue’s site for more info, to purchase tickets if you’re in the area, to donate goods and services to the auctions or to just plain give. Ensure other dogs like Harry find their safe haven, too.
Do you have a favorite shelter? What makes them special to you?
If you like what you’ve read and want more, subscribe to our email list and get the fresh news first!
Love the site, its goals, its stories!
Thank you so much, Malena! So glad you love! I’m having so much fun doing Bark & Swagger.
Aww, this is a sad story with a happy ending. Thankfully this dog got to the shelter in time.
Yes and thankfully the shelter was a real no kill. A senior dog with severe liver issues is not that adoptable and some no kills do kill when they’re overloaded or a dog isn’t adoptable. Harry was blessed that APR found him and that social media helped bring him home to his mom. Glad you liked, Val!