8/9/15|Submitted by Sofiah

Martini's Story

A year after my dog I'd had since I was three passed away I couldn't handle not having a furry buddy as they make our lives so much happier and bright. It was may of 2013 when my dad and I decided to go to San Antonio animal care services to see about bringing a new companion home. After a good hour of reading doggy bios and walking some dogs around we found a little male doberman. As we were walkin to the office to sign his adoption papers we came across a whole line of kennels outside in the hot sun being loaded into a small room crammed with whining and barking dogs and puppies. They were all on death row. My dad and I had already had our hearts set on this adorable red doberman puppy but that's when we saw her. She was the only puppy who wasn't barking or crying instead just laying there with the saddest face I've ever seen on a pup! My dad walked up to her and they stared at each other for a couple seconds before my dad told me to put the puppy back cuz we were going to take this one. Me being 15 and dead set on the things I wanted protested and cried but what about this one that one is weird looking! He laughed and said just trust me. So we got "Rocky's papers( not the doberman but the sad puppy) and found out she was a two time foster return( the foster parents didn't want her so they returned her to animal care services twice) and she had been abused and the baby was only six months old. We took her home and she hated every single man and dog that came near her. She attacked my uncle and his dogs and she wouldn't let my dad come near her. The first time I gave her a bath she started screaming. Literally screaming as if someone had done something to her in the bathtub before:( it broke my heart and I started crying) she had a nasty scar on her cheek that I didn't realize til I was washing her little face with doggy shampoo. So three years later martini is the most beautiful dog I've ever seen inside and out and you can't tell she had a scar. She never got used to people again(except for my grandparents one cousin and me and my parents) she is better at guarding us and my house better than any trained dog I've ever seen! Please if you're on the fence about adopting just think of how rewarding it is for both the life you saved and yours. With patience and love my 65 pound catahoula plot hound mix came around and makes me smile every time I share her story. Adopting a dog is probably one of the most amazing things you can ever do. I was once skeptical about pound dogs now I wish every single one could come home with me.