Woman who rescued malnourished dog from negligent owner shares their journey from hangry hound to couch cuddler, dog mom says: ‘From hiking, to agility, to paddle boarding she can do it with the best of them with the biggest happiest smile on her face.’

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Apr 13, 2026 11:30 AM EDT

To truly help a doggo, you might have to give them up. At least that was the moral of the story for one pupper pawrent when life got too tough for them.

It is a terribly sad fact, but one that ultimately considers the wellness of the pupper over the happiness of the pawrent. A generous and empathetic response that is not necessarily expected of a person in a tough spot. But perhpas having the contact information of someone who has offered to help and give the doggo a good life is what helped this pawrent feel confident in giving away his main source of joy in the world. Because at the end of the day, our puppers deserve to be the happier and healthier ones in this relationship and if we cannot provide that for them, then it might be time to rethink things.

So the moral of this story is that letting go can be tough, but when it is necessary it opens doors to allow good things in. things like hiking and stand up paddle boarding with a pupper.

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    "This is the funniest dog I've ever known with the brightest personality."
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    When I first met Stevie in April of 2024 I knew she would be my dog. Someway, somehow. She was a malnourished stray that a young man was trying to keep, but in over his head. I offered to take her then and there and
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    he declined. Eight months later I received a call at my job and he gave her to me. Unfortunately she was neglected for that whole while he had her and was only 8lbs. It has been a battle trying to keep Stevie
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  • Wow, we cannot imagine how tough life must have been for that young man. Often in cases where life really gets you down, having a canine companion is the only thing that keeps you sane. Knowing that no matter how badly others treat you, there is always a sweet soul who will love you unconditionally. But to get to the point where you have to admit that you are no good for that supportive soul, and they would be better off with someone else. Well, that has to be one of the toughest, even if correct, decisions. 

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    P
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    here with us. If you've never dealt with an emaciated dog before it's very sad and very hard. She was SO HUNGRY, but you cannot over feed them. She had several tiny meals a day for 3-4 months.
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    She was neglected for so long that one of her kidneys will forever be damaged. She had no worms. We thought, surely she has worms and that's why she's so skinny/sickly... but no. She was
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    neglected for so so long that her organs were in the early stages of failing. After giving her steady meals for three days Stevie went into heat. Her hormones went berserk. Her heat lasted a month and
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    AIRTIGHT
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    a half. She then went into a pseudo pregnancy where she eventually developed mastitis. It took a while but once that was totally healed we finally were able to spay her. A few months after her spay she was ated by a
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    feral cat protecting her kittens. Mind you, we were very far from them just doing our last walk of the night. I gave Stevie Nicks her name because right from the get go I could tell she was my little gypsy
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    IIIIII
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    girl. I could see that spark in her eyes longing to trust and yearning for a place to call hers. For the first month she did nothing but pace my home. I don't think she slept the first week we had her. She wouldn't sit next to us, come to us, or
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    play with us. She was totally shut down. I still remember fondly the first time she felt safe enough to fall asleep next to me on the couch. This girl wasn't ready to give up on life just yet. I took her hiking as often as I could.. I
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    think the woods really helped heal her spirit. My other dog Journey became her best friend from day one. They are truly best friends. It's the sweetest thing watching our big girl be gentle with our littlest girl as if she were a puppy. She
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    Arizo HA Wale OORS
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  • That must have been such a wild experience for this poor pupper. To go from a life of squalor where your pawrent relies on you more than you rely on them must be such a head spinner for a pupper like that. And it just goes to show how understanding and patient her new pawrents were, that they gave her the time and space to suss out her new surroundings and get used to the good life. A patience that has obviously paid off and will keep paying off as time goes on. What a lucky fur family they are to have each other.

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    would never hurt her. No one would ever hurt Stevie again. It's been a long EXPENSIVE journey. It's funny how the free ones somehow always turn out to be the most expensive. Haha she
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    pays me back every day trying and achieving in making me laugh. This is the funniest dog I've ever known with the brightest personality. Her sense of wander and yearning for adventure can't be measured. Stevie is now 13.5lbs and
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    living her best life. From hiking, to agility, to paddle boarding she can do it with the best of them with the biggest happiest smile on her face. Thank you for reading.
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share dogs journey hound woman cuddle dog mom dog owner couch reddit story neglect dog story hangry rescue
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