We first spotted Lani and her sister Lacey in one of Romania’s public shelters, two frightened faces watching the world from behind bars. At the time we were already rehabilitating a little girl we believe was their sister, Lottie. The three were too unusual and too alike not to be related, and we knew straight away that we had to help. We asked our rescuer in Romania to get Lani and Lacey out, promising to bring them to the UK and give them the chance they had never had.
A few months later, once all the paperwork and vaccinations were complete, we finally welcomed the girls into one of our foster homes. It was utterly heartbreaking to see how shut down and scared they both were. Neither of them would so much as lift their head to look at us.
So we gave them a safe place of their own and we gave them time. Time to breathe, time to watch, and time to slowly understand that they were safe now.
Lani came on much quicker than Lacey. After three weeks, she made the brave decision to venture outside for the very first time. The key to reaching her turned out to be toys. We spent hours and hours sitting with her, playing, coaxing, and slowly earning her trust one game at a time.
Some weeks later we were given the absolute privilege of stroking her for the first time. It is a moment we will cherish forever. After those first gentle strokes we helped her get used to wearing a harness, and that is where the real fun began. Bit by bit, the most beautiful girl began to emerge from the shadows of her past.
Lani adored the field. She loved running, playing with her friends, and simply being a dog at last. In time, she even began helping the nervous new arrivals, encouraging the frightened ones in just the way she had once needed to be encouraged herself. She was the dog of a lifetime, and she left a lasting mark on her foster mum with her sheer kindness. If we are honest, we would have secretly loved to keep her forever. But we knew she had so much more to give, and so much more to gain, with a family of her own.
When a previous adopter came back to us looking for a new companion, we knew instantly that Lani was the one. Fergus was a gentle boy who needed a gentle, playful friend, and they were perfectly matched. After a few meets we made the journey to take Lani to her forever home. There were plenty of tears shed that day, both happy and sad.
We were lucky enough to share eleven wonderful months of Lani’s journey, and a year on, we still well up every time an update lands in our inbox. Seeing her thriving, loved and completely herself is everything we hoped for when we first saw her behind those bars.
This is what your support makes possible. Every Lani starts somewhere frightened, and with a little time and a lot of love, finds her way home.
