Sweet Magnolia, the Aussie!

Magnolia, or “Maggie” as her foster mom Delana calls her is a special case from Gwinnett County Animal Control in Lawrenceville, GA.

The backstory on this gorgeous girl is both heartbreaking, yet inspirational.
A few days ago, as I was trying frantically to rescue another little pup in this same shelter, I get a phone call from one of the city’s volunteers. The call began with some great news–the little puppy I was fighting for had been adopted! I could breathe easily again. This was only shortlived, as the next question came across the reciever of my telephone. “Do you take older aussies?” she asked. Immediately my heart sank. “How old?” I asked her, hoping I didn’t just walk myself into a bad situation. The answer that she gave me made me chuckle. “She’s three!”. Again, I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew we could get somewhere!

As I sat listening to Delana, she relayed to me the amazing story of how this beautiful girl came to be. I’m sure many of you are not familiar with the intake process of shelter dogs, but for many facilities like Gwinnett, they rely on a color-coding system. White cards are adoptable dogs; these make up the majority of those in the shelters. However, there are some–as we in rescue all know–that are not suited for the average adopter, and all too often, lose their lives because of it. Beautiful Magnolia here is one such dog.

On her intake, she was labeled with an orange card; She was “unadoptable”. “Too aggressive”, “too traumatized” to be suitable for a family. Her fate was chosen for her, and once she was labeled, there was little anyone could do to change it. Delana, the shelter volunteer, knew otherwise. “I knew she was special” she said to me. “I knew I couldn’t leave her there. So I took her home with me”.

She has now had magnolia for nine months, and finally feels like she is ready to be taken further. When she saw that The Dog Liberator was interested in taking one of the shelter’s puppies, she was elated. She took the time to seek me out, asking for my and TDL’s assistance in finding the perfect place for her. Her bravery in taking on a case like magnolia alone touched me so, and I just could not say no! I have agreed to help Delana with Magnolia, so that she may continue her wonderful work at the shelter, by helping future shelter dogs overcome their color-coded fate, just as she has done with Magnolia here.

She is no longer the same dog that she was in the shelter, but she still harbors remnants of her past. She is wonderful with other dogs, and very affectionate towards women. She tends to stay away from men, but has not offered to snap or bite. She prefers to go her own way when men are present, except during thunderstorms, where she looks towards the men in the household for protection.

We feel that Magnolia would do best as a female companion, or in a home with a greater female to male ratio. As far as she has come, her foster mom is looking for someone to take her to the next level, and help Magnolia continue to build her confidence, so that she may blossom into the dog she was meant to be. If you are anyone you know is interested in adopting, or fostering with the intent to adopt, please direct all your inquiries to Khaz.thedogliberator@gmail.com!