Before the family moved from the Dallas community, they kept trash and unwanted items in the alley behind the house. Sadly, the one thing they don’t want anymore is their dog – so they left her and her blanket on the street.
On New Year’s Day — a day after the dog’s family went missing — Dallas DogRRR co-founder Marina Tarashevska went for a walk in her community and found the abandoned dog clinging to blanket.
“It was really cold, it was raining, the dog was on her blanket — she wasn’t going to leave,” Patty Dawson, executive director of Dallas DogRRR, told The Dodo. “I think she still thinks her family will come back. . She’s at that stage, ‘I’m just here waiting. It’s familiar.'”
After talking to concerned neighbors and learning about the dog’s harrowing story, Tarashevska tried to rescue the dog. But it’s not easy.
“As soon as Marina got close to that blanket, she would run away,” Dawson said.
Once Tarashevska retreated, the dog always returned to the blanket, which gave Tarashevska an idea. Now, every time the dog ran away, Tarashevska pulled the blanket down the alley to her own house.
After doing this for about an hour, the blanket and the dog arrived in Tarashevska’s backyard, and Tarashevska grabbed the dog and took her to the safety of the kennel.
The dog named Camilla was terrified.
Tarashevska also saw new wounds on Camilla’s neck and ears – so she immediately took Camilla to the vet.
“The vet said it was either an embedded collar, which meant she was probably out,” Dawson said. “The only other thing that came to our mind was when she was out, a dog fought her. There were a lot of stray animals out there, so they might fight over food.”
Camilla had surgery on her neck and she’s on her way to recovery – not just physically, but emotionally.
“She did a great job,” Dawson said. “Her personality is slowly emerging and she’s starting to trust.”
Camilla now lives in a foster home where she gets a lot of love and attention – Camilla becomes a completely different dog
“She starts snuggling, and she’ll touch your nose to your hand for you to touch her,” Dawson said. “So she’s seeking attention now, which is huge. They said she played with her first toy the other day.”
Camilla will be in foster care a little longer so she can continue her recovery, but she will be adopted soon.
