Scared Dog Is Dragged Into High-Kill Shelter by Family. A Day Later, Her Life Changes

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The grief can be acute when a person whom you believe loves you abandons you. It seems animals feel the same way too. A labrador/shepherd mix, named Maya, was just 2 years old when she was being dumped by her family at a high-kill-rate shelter in Houston, Texas.

Upon reaching the doorsteps of the Harris County Animal Shelter, the heartless family dragged Maya impatiently by her rope as if they couldn’t wait to throw her away.

Apparently, knowing her family was abandoning her in the scary shelter, Maya tried to hold her ground and refused to move an inch.

Maya was reluctant to enter the shelter door, so her family yelled at her. In the end, the owners had no choice but to carry her inside.

One could only imagine how terrified and sad Maya was being left alone in the confined space of the shelter all by herself.

Throughout the whole process, which took place in 2017, the family, including their little boy, didn’t shed a single tear.

This disturbing episode, caught on video, soon did its rounds on social media, breaking netizens’ hearts. One of the viewers was Stacey Silverstein, co-founder of Rescue Dogs Rock in New York.

“We were moved,” Silverstein told The Dodo. “We immediately contacted the shelter.”

“We were so disgusted at Maya’s family, who didn’t even look back and even care that Maya was losing everything. They actually pushed her into the shelter as she resisted. At least have some type of compassion about surrendering your dog,” she wrote on Facebook.

Thanks to Silverstein, Maya escaped the high-kill-rate shelter just one day later. She was subsequently treated at the Aldine Animal Hospital in Houston for heartworm before making her way to New York, where she was being given a second chance at life.

The betrayal apparently left Maya heartbroken and frightened. Veterinary technician Ashley West, who took care of Maya, noticed the dog looked “very scared.”

Most likely, Maya wasn’t treated very well by her heartless family during her early years. To make her trust humans again, the staff at the hospital showered Maya with lots of love and affection.

With TLC, Maya slowly began to open up. “She'll let you pet her and love on her,” West said. “She’s a good girl.”

Maya used to dread being on a leash, and she had to be carried around. But as time went by, the pooch started to walk around and follow humans willingly on a leash.

In spite of her sad past, Maya is “sweet, loving and affectionate.” She especially loves being around kids.

As Maya’s broken heart was healed, Rescue Dogs Rock started to find her a forever home in New York.

Maya didn’t have a happy start in life. However, Silverstein believes she will be “a very spoiled princess going forward,” and that she will stay “healthy, happy and at peace.”

“The best thing that can happen to Maya now is to have a home waiting for her when she is ready to make the journey from Texas to New York,” Silverstein said, according to Pet Rescue Report.

Fortunately, as Silverstein predicted, Maya eventually found a forever home, where she is given the love that she truly deserves.

Hopefully, Maya has a happily ever after with her loving owner and won’t experience abandonment anymore.