This beautiful face hides a very sad story.  We call it “The Angel In The Blue Box”.

For nearly two years, one of our volunteers had been agonizing over a case of animal neglect right next door to her.  Every time she looked out her kitchen window, she would get a lump in her throat over what she saw.  When German Shepherd Rescue heard this sad story, we knew that we had to help...

Angel’s family brought her home as an adorable 3 month old puppy and immediately relegated her to a six foot by five foot chain link cage in the back yard where she spent every day and every night of her life.  Despite the fact that the family had several children, no one ever played with Angel, no one trained her, no one took her for a walk.  When Angel cried for attention, the family covered her pen with blue plastic tarps on top and all sides so that the ONLY thing this sad little puppy could see was the garage wall directly in front of her.  The family walked in and out of the house past Angel every day, but no one ever stopped to pet her or comfort her.  Instead, when she barked, they shouted, “Shut up, Angel”, so often that she started thinking that her name was “Shut-Up-Angel”.

Distraught over this situation, our volunteer spoke with the family several times over the years and told them that this was no way to keep a dog and no example to set for children.  When asked WHY they wanted a dog at all, the family responded “for breeding and protection.”  Our volunteer tried to educate the owners about the need to provide Angel with toys and exercise, and about what a wonderful family member she could become, but they did not listen.  Instead, as Angel grew older and became more and more frustrated in her cramped blue cell, they put a bark collar on her to shock her when ever she barked for attention.  When Angel chewed through the chain link fence to try to free herself from the prison, they TIED her inside of it so that she could not escape, and placed wooden boards on the front of her cage where she had damaged it, taking away what remained of her garage “view”.

When neighbors called County Animal Control to express concern, officers paid the family visits, but said that no law was being broken if the dog had ample water, shade and a six foot length of chain!  Apparently, California law is so weak in this area that as long as the minimum requirements are being met, officers can not issue citations or remove the animal from the situation!  Pets are still regarded as “property”, so owners are not required to provide them with love or kindness!

Fortunately, this month, something remarkable happened.  The very same volunteer was scouting the local shelter to look for German Shepherds in distress when she came upon a dog with the name “Angel” imprinted on its cage card.  The volunteer ran to the shelter office and learned that, sure enough, this was the very same Angel that had lived her entire life in a blue box.  Apparently, the owners had grown tired of her.  The reason they gave for dumping this poor dog was “barking”.  At age two, Angel was no longer wanted.

Thankfully, German Shepherd Rescue is able to offer Angel a second chance to live her life--to romp and play and roll in the grass like every puppy should!  Because of her very sad start, Angel craves attention.  She is just beginning to see the world outside of her box--trees, flowers, fresh air and other animals are all brand new to her!  She likes most people, but is a little uncertain of who to trust.  With training and patience, we think that Angel can overcome her aggression toward other dogs.  German Shepherds learn very quickly once they know what is expected of them, so we predict that Angel will blossom into a loving and loyal dog for someone who understands the torture that she has been through by no fault of her own.

Could YOU be the person to show Angel how beautiful life can be?

German Shepherd Rescue will continue to lobby for stronger laws to protect all animals from abuse and neglect.  If you wish to join us in this important work, please contact your legislators (Congressmen, State Senators, Governor) to urge them to support laws that protect animals and to ask for stiffer penalties for animal abusers.  Thank you.

Angel getting a bath at the rescue