Sometimes Rescue Takes A Bloody Village

In our first blog, we told you we weren’t just going to show you the pretty before and after pictures.

We promised you the bit in the middle.

The messy bit.

The expensive bit.

The “well, that plan’s gone completely to shit, what are we doing now?” bit.

So it seems only right that we introduce you to Pipper.

Because if ever there was a dog whose story proves that rescue isn’t simply about getting a dog out of danger and living happily ever after…

It’s this girl.

Three Puppies and a Plastic Bag

Pipper was just a puppy.

She had a sister and a brother, and somebody had decided that the solution to having three unwanted puppies was to put them into a plastic bag and throw them into the sea.

We’ll give you a second to process that.

…

Yep.

We had roughly the same reaction.

There are plenty of things we’d like to say about the person who thought this was an acceptable solution.

Most of them contain four letters.

But this story isn’t really about them.

It’s about Pipper.

Because they didn’t get to decide how her story ended.

We did.

We gave a shit.

And we stepped in.

Then We Saw the State of Her

Getting Pipper safe was one thing.

Getting her well was another.

She was emaciated.

Her tongue was split and sore.

She had sores on her feet and across her stomach.

This wasn’t a puppy who just needed a decent meal and somewhere warm to sleep.

Her little body had already been through far too much.

And she was a baby.

She should have been doing normal puppy things.

Chewing things she shouldn’t.

Stealing socks.

Pissing somewhere deeply inconvenient approximately thirty seconds after being taken outside for a wee.

You know.

Puppy stuff.

Instead, we were looking at a tiny, underweight, sore little dog who needed help.

So we got on with it.

Food.

Care.

Safety.

Comfort.

And lots of love.

Her body started to heal.

Lovely.

Job done then?

Oh, bless.

The Bit in the Middle

This is exactly what we meant in our first blog when we said we wanted to show you the bit in the middle.

Because physical healing was only part of Pipper’s story.

She had behavioural needs too.

And unfortunately, you can’t simply explain to a dog:

“You’re safe now, sweetheart. You can stop worrying.”

Wouldn’t that make our lives considerably bloody easier?

Dogs bring their experiences with them.

Sometimes that shows up in ways that are easy to understand.

Sometimes it doesn’t.

And sometimes you have to try something, learn from it, change the plan and try again.

Pipper had input from three foster homes during her journey.

And we think that’s important to tell you.

Not hide it.

Not gloss over it.

Not turn her story into a perfect little rescue fairy tale where everything magically fell into place the moment we stepped in.

Because that’s not how it happened.

Three Foster Homes. Not Three Failures.

Every foster home involved with Pipper became another piece of the puzzle.

They cared for her.

They observed her.

They learned about her.

And they helped us understand more about what this little dog actually needed.

That’s fostering.

Sometimes a placement works beautifully.

Sometimes it teaches you that the dog needs something different.

That doesn’t automatically mean somebody failed.

It means you’ve learned something.

And when you’re dealing with complicated dogs, information is bloody valuable.

The important thing was that Pipper kept having people in her corner.

Nobody said:

“Oh well, we tried.”

We kept going.

Pipper Goes to Bootcamp

Eventually, we decided Pipper needed some professional input.

Enter Yorkshire Canine Academy.

Pipper went to bootcamp.

And before anyone asks, no, we don’t mean she was crawling through mud underneath barbed wire wearing a tiny camouflage jacket.

Although we’d absolutely watch that.

Yorkshire Canine Academy helped us work on Pipper’s behaviours and became another important part of her journey.

Because here’s something else we’re never going to pretend:

We don’t know everything.

No rescue does.

And when a dog needs expertise that somebody else has, you bloody well use it.

Asking for professional help isn’t failing a dog.

It’s doing right by them.

Love matters enormously.

But sometimes love needs a behaviour professional standing next to it saying:

“Right. Here’s what’s actually going on.”

So between us, three foster homes and Yorkshire Canine Academy, Team Pipper kept going.

We learned.

We adapted.

We changed things.

We tried again.

And slowly, the puppy who had arrived in such an awful state began showing us who she actually was.

And This Is Where We Shut Up

There’s a video about Pipper.

And rather than us telling you what happened next, we think you should see her for yourself.

But before you press play, remember where this story started.

A puppy who was going to be put into a plastic bag and thrown into the sea.

Emaciated.

A split, sore tongue.

Sores on her feet and stomach.

Then came rescue.

Recovery.

Three foster homes.

Behavioural work.

Bootcamp.

A whole collection of people who refused to give up on her.

Now watch.

Fuck Me. Look at Her.

That’s Pipper.

And this is exactly why we wanted her to be one of the first dogs you met on this blog.

Because Pipper is the bit in the middle.

She’s what happens between:

“We’ve got a dog that needs help.”

and

“Look at her now.”

There’s an enormous amount of work hiding between those two sentences.

Foster carers.

Trainers.

Veterinary care.

Decisions.

Changed plans.

Worry.

Money.

Messages at ridiculous times of the day.

Tiny breakthroughs that nobody outside rescue would understand why you’re getting so bloody excited about.

And an awful lot of people giving a shit about one dog.

That’s rescue.

Not swooping in wearing a cape and magically fixing everything.

It’s getting it wrong sometimes.

It’s asking for help.

It’s changing the plan.

It’s finding the right people.

It’s looking at a dog who is struggling and asking why? instead of simply deciding they’re difficult.

And it’s keeping going when there’s a realistic way forward.

Pipper Isn’t a Sad Story

Her beginning is horrific.

But we don’t want anyone feeling sorry for Pipper.

That’s not who she is.

She isn’t “that poor puppy who was nearly thrown into the sea.”

She isn’t “the emaciated dog.”

She isn’t “the one with behavioural problems.”

She’s Pipper.

Her past is part of her story.

It doesn’t get to be her identity.

And that’s something we feel pretty strongly about at CWF.

Dogs are more than the worst thing that’s happened to them.

They’re more than a bite history.

More than a medical diagnosis.

More than a behavioural problem.

More than somebody else’s failure to care for them properly.

Sometimes you’ve just got to give them the chance to show you who they are.

Pipper got that chance.

Not because one person magically fixed her.

Because a whole bloody team kept showing up for her.

We told you there would be complicated dogs.

We told you there would be training.

We told you there would be setbacks, progress, professionals, ridiculous moments and the reality of rescue.

Well…

Meet Pipper.

We gave a shit.

We stepped in.

And just look at her now. 

Help us write the next one!

Pipper got her chance because people give a shit!

There are more dogs who need theirs.

Whether you foster, donate, share out dogs or simply tell someone about what we do, you’re helping us keep showing up for the ones who need us.

Find out how you can support Canine Welfare Fund below.