My name is Maya which in other languages means “good mother”, “courage” and “from God”. All of those things describe me well. I am a Golden-Mix (Collie maybe?), about 18 months-2 years old, and I have had a very sad and hard life, but finally find myself in the loving care of GRRAND volunteers where I’m learning that I can trust people and don’t have to search the countryside for my next meal. People have put different pieces of my story together and have learned the following about me… I was a stray in the Lake Cumberland area last summer, traveling around finding anything that I could eat to survive. When fall came and not so many people were around the lake, I traveled toward the town of Russell Springs where I was observed for months, searching for food in parking lots, around schools, and from trash cans along the roads. I even found a colony of feral cats that were being fed behind a service station and was spotted picking up the whole bowls of food and running away with them so I could be sure not to lose any from eating in haste. About a month ago, people started posting on social media that they thought I might have had puppies because I was clearly full of milk. Little did they know at the time that I had found a vacant barn and climbed through a hole in the wall to find a safe, dry place to have my 8 puppies! After that, I became even more desperate to find food because I was not only eating for myself, but also for my babies. As I traveled the roads and fields and navigated traffic along busy intersections, people tried to catch me, but I was on a mission… to eat and then rush back to my beloved pups. A wonderful Rescue person named Rhonda learned about me and spent numerous hours at night searching for me. She spotted me one night in a K-Mart parking lot and decided to fill me with as much food as I could eat and then hopefully, follow me to where I had my puppies. I know I’m an amazingly smart girl, but that night, Rhonda was smarter than I am. I ate everything she gave me and quickly left to go and care for my babies. Rhonda followed me in the car for a mile and a half, along a busy highway, though traffic and out to my barn. When Rhonda asked the property owners if they had observed me, they said they had and agreed to open the barn for her. They could hear my puppies crying in an interior barn room on a dirt floor. Rhonda then set a trap outside for me, which I immediately went into. She was then able to gather my beautiful 8 puppies. The rescue people say they don’t understand how my puppies could be as healthy and strong as they are, but it just shows how hard I worked to keep them alive and well.
We are now in a wonderful GRRAND foster home where my puppies are starting to eat regular puppy food and I’m being given all the food I can eat. It took a little bit for me to realize that when night came, I didn’t need to rush out in search of food, because food was actually going to come to me, every day! I’m starting to relax a bit and learn to trust my foster moms, but I did demonstrate to them the first day I arrived, that I can jump right over a 4’ fence. I will need a secure above ground fenced yard, preferably 6’, and a family that will help me to continue to learn what its like to have a family and not be a stray, having to work hard every day just to survive. Clearly, I’m a very special, incredibly smart girl, but they say I’m also super sweet and loving. I’m going to make some lucky family such a devoted, grateful new family member. Will you be that special family for me? I promise not to disappoint you. They say that my story is like one of those documentaries people watch on television about resilience, tenacity, and determination. Just one more thing about me… As I’m adjusting to my foster home, folks have noted how extremely devoted I am to my puppies and how very much I love them. They separate me from the pups so I can eat or get a little alone time and as soon as they do, I jump over their gates so I can be next to my puppies again. We have been through a whole lot together and I’m deeply bonded to these special pups that I worked so hard to save. Some of the volunteers are even wondering if there could be a chance that a family might adopt me and one of my babies into a home together. That would make the perfect ending to my special story! Is there anyone out there that might consider both me and one of my puppies?? I am truly an amazing little dog and some lucky family will get a true gem if they adopt me!
Maya's foster mom says how extremely devoted Maya is to her puppies. Would be so perfect for her to be able to go to a forever home with one of them!!
If you would like to meet Maya (and maybe one of her babies too), please fill out an app at GRRAND.org
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