Little Lettie was in foster with us for almost two years before she found her forever home. She arrived scared and shut down, and her first instinct was always to hide. It took a long time for her to come out of her shell and learn to trust new people.
Her first meeting with her adopters was inauspicious to say the least. She was so frightened to be out of her comfort zone that she didn’t really sell herself. Luckily, they had seen plenty of videos of her bouncing around the field with her friends, so they knew there was a big character in there somewhere.
Choosing her was easy. The settling in was not. When Lettie first arrived home, she didn’t come out of her crate for three days, and even then only with gentle coaxing. For many months she lived quietly in the office, hiding in her crate all day apart from her walks. Wilbs, the family’s other dog, became her quiet confidence builder, showing her the ropes and reassuring her that this new world was safe.
Sixteen months on, she really is a different girl.
She is still shy and not too keen on the big wide world, but she runs and walks with her family and loves a holiday by the sea. She now charges around the house like she pays the mortgage and has been promoted to head of security, barking at every passing car, squirrel and horse. Until bedtime, that is, when she doesn’t so much as flicker an eyelid.
Lettie will always have her quirks, and her family simply works around them, because they love her so much. In their own words: “Thank you High Hopes for trusting her with us.”
Every rescue deserves a happy ending, and Lettie’s is one of our favourites.
