While I’m writing this, Ginger is laying on my bed playing with one of her dog toys. She’s the perfect example of a satisfied, loving and healthy looking dog. Ginger owns happiness, it’s flowing all around her, she breathes joy, genuine love, content and true happiness. It’s hard to believe this story begins with a dog so different from the one I’m looking at now.

On June 1st of 2015 I received a phone call from Rachel. She found a dead puppy, laying on the side of the road. There were several more puppies running in the bushes, just inches away from cars passing by. I stepped into my car and after five hours of laying in bushes surrounded by the nastiest thorns, digging holes and working very hard with a team of six people, we were able to rescue the two remaining puppies: Poppy and Lily.

There was a pack of dogs living in this area; four females and one male dog. We decided they needed our help. The owner of the dogs told us that he was feeding them, but that only one of the dogs was actually his. Another one was very skinny and limping badly. He told us that she sneaks into his house to steal food from the counter. He wasn’t very fond of her. He gave us permission to catch the dogs to have them spayed and he would keep feeding them after they were returned. We agreed, but the catching part wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

It took us a full three weeks before we were able to catch the puppies mom, Polly. Polly was fostered by Rachel but she didn’t enjoy life inside. She tore up the whole house and after a week managed to escape. She was so happy being back with her girl gang that we decided to let her be. Poppy clearly wasn’t meant to be an inside dog! This is a decision we regret to this day, because a few weeks later she was hit by a car. Her injuries were very severe and we had to let the vet put her to sleep.

On August 3th we managed to catch two more females: Silver and Gold. Gold had an owner and was very sweet, we were waiting for permission to have her operated too. Silver was more difficult and we had to use tranquilizers and even then it was quite the effort…

Some time later the owner decided to give up Gold after all. They’d broken into his house and Gold hadn’t prevented it (sadly this is the mentality of some people; dogs are only kept around for “security”). We found Gold a great home and she’s currently living the life with a beautiful family in California!

We caught the dogs one by one over the course of a few months, and every time we went there we saw an orange, extremely skinny dog who couldn’t walk properly. She refused to come closer and as soon as we even looked in her direction, she took off. Her limping became worse as the weeks went by, her back was arched, her hind legs were not functioning well and she was keeping one of her front legs in the air too. We thought she was hit by a car and were afraid she’d sustained some horrible injuries.

After feeding her on a regularly basis she stayed a little closer, but approaching her was still not an option. This poor little girl was the most terrified dog we had ever met!

After showing a video of her to our vet he told us it looked liked she had a fractured spine… This made it very clear that we had to keep trying to catch her. This dog wouldn’t be able to survive much longer on her own. The most difficult mission of Sgt Pepper’s Friends had officially begun: we simply had to catch this dog before it was too late!

Catching her with a trap proved impossible – she was too smart and too scared to even approach it. We tried giving her tranquilizers through food, but this feisty and feral dog managed to run away even then. We increased the dose and even though she was dizzy from exhaustion she still got up and took when we approached her. A team of eight people spent weeks trying to catch her on a regular basis with no luck. It was starting to feel like an impossible feat.

On August 6th of 2015 we doubled the tranquilizer dose – with approval from the vet of course. I waited almost two hours by the side of the road for the medication to kick in. She was sleeping and seemed unresponsive. I slowly approached her, she opened her eyes and ran away immediately… I was about to burst into tears, but still waited for her to lay down again for a second attempt. However, she disappeared into the bushes and I had to eventually give up and go home.

An hour later my phone rang. Philip from Philips Animal Garden saw her – he knew we were working on catching her and had helped during several attempts – laying next to the road, sleeping soundly, and he caught her!

We were very happy, but also sad since she was in such a bad shape. We were very afraid for the outcome and with a heavy heart we took her to the vet. Her x-rays showed… no abnormalities!!! We were wonder-struck. She was admitted in boarding. She had a severe case of heartworm and was very anemic. We named her Ginger.

Three days later we received a phone call from our vet. Ginger had bitten one of the staff members severely. She had been trying to bathe her and Ginger got really scared. Not being used to people and expecting the worst when being around them, plus the traumatizing days she had, caused this response. The vet told us she was so scared that we only had two options: 1. Find her a foster home. 2. Euthanize. Keeping her in boarding would have only made things worse and seeing as she was so terrified, the recommended option number 2.

That same day I went to the vet to pick her up. The crate I had didn’t fit in my car, so they put her in the back of my car. On our way home she became so frightened that she peed and pooped herself. It wasn’t a very pleasant ride… Back home we managed to get her into my backyard. I could just hope she’d be cat friendly, since two of my cats are allowed to go outside as well. Ginger crawled into the bushes of my backyard and disappeared. I introduced my two dogs Nina and Milo one by one. They could sense her fear and stayed away from her, both of them only smelled the trail where Ginger had walked.

During the night I woke up and went to the bathroom. I heard water running so I went outside and Ginger had pulled off the timer of my drip system from the faucet, so all the water was freely running into my yard! I closed the area off with pallet wood, but this smart girl was still able to get to the timer and the same thing happened again. As you can imagine I was eagerly waiting for my water bill that month.

It took a tremendous amount of patience and care, but over the next few months she slowly started to come out of the bushes. It took weeks and weeks for her to come towards me, but when she did she was wagging her tail and looking pleased. I’d feed her twice a day and while in the beginning she wouldn’t even approach her bowl until I was inside the house and the door was closed, with time she started to come out of the bushes for food when she heard me come outside. She didn’t want to come inside the house at all and I still wasn’t able to approach her, not even after caring for her and feeding her for four months straight. It was time to get some expert advise. We brought Jade and Janice from United K9 Professionals to Aruba, hoping to make some progress with professional help. I’d already been in touch with them and gotten some good advice, but there was little progress made.

During the time they were in Aruba we worked with Ginger for four afternoons. From getting her used to a leash around her neck (it’s a simple sentence, but it took days to get her used to it and several hours to get it on her the first day), to eventually petting her with the leash to touching her –for the first time!!!!- with my hands. It was like magic. I will never forget these days, these moments, being able to touch her, to connect with her after living together for so many months without any real contact. It was an amazing and mind-blowing experience. Jade’s and Janice’s helpful techniques helped me show Ginger that she could trust me, and we started making some amazing progress. She had a piece of rope around her neck since being boarded at the vet and finally getting it off felt like a liberation, a new start, like cutting the ribbon to be able to enter a new stage in my life with Ginger. It was amazing!!!!!

So much changed with the help I received during these days, but not everything changed overnight. We worked hard and it took a lot of effort. After the week with Janice and Jade I had to continue on my own. The first few days were difficult. Ginger is a smart girl and she knew I was alone now. She didn’t make it easy for me but every day went a little better.

On November 29th it was raining a lot and my porch was soaked. I felt so bad for Ginger being out there alone so I decided to take her inside. I put the leash on her and carefully led her inside. She wasn’t too pleased, but settled in quickly. For me this was the moment that Ginger ‘broke’, it only took a few more days before she was sleeping inside the house – and eventually on the bed with me, my dogs and my cats. A huge step!

A month later I took her on a walk for the first time. The car ride was the worst part for her – she peed herself right away – but the support of my dogs helped her a lot. She walked correctly on a leash immediately. I tied her to my other dog Nina the next day and Ginger loved it! It only took a few days before she was able to walk off leash and stopped peeing in my car. 😉

From here Ginger made absolutely incredible progress. She actually went from a feral dog to a family dog! She is a part of our pack now, happily greets people as they approach her, she is friendly with other dogs, loves jumping on the bed and gives me kisses whenever she can. But – she will always remain ‘special’. New situations are intimidating, doing things differently is scary, food remains an issue (she gets very unsure and runs away if you get near her while she’s eating or has a treat) and stress triggers the destroyer in her.

Ginger loves meeting new people (in a familiar place), she adores cats (and their toys…), is social with other dogs, she walks great off and on leash, she gives lots and lots of affection, is incredibly gentle and loving, she’ll make sure you get up in the morning after your alarm clock rings, she talks (she chatters her teeth, barks and makes super cute sounds when she’s happy) and going on walks is her favorite thing!

She’s been on a heartworm program for 34 weeks, but unfortunately didn’t test negative yet. She’ll need to be on monthly preventative heartguard for six months after which she can be retested.
She has been spayed, fully vaccinated and “ready to go home..”

I wish I would be able to keep her, she’s been with me for almost a year and she’s part of my family. Two dogs and five cats are enough for me though and I want to continue fostering dogs and saving lives. I know that the right family is out there somewhere and I’m determined to find them for her!!

To my sweet girl Ginger: I will never forget you, you gave me so much to remember. The frightened look in your eyes when I met you and the poor condition you were in, the first time I touched you, the first time you slept in my bed, the first time we went on a walk, your everyday smile, your happy dances, our walks, our mornings cuddling in bed, your teeth chattering, your love. Only thinking about you leaving makes me cry. You will leave my life one day soon, but you will never ever leave my heart. My dog, my foster, my friend, my Ginger.

Are you moved by Gingers story? Feel called to explore if you will be the one to provide her with her forever home? Please email us at info@sgtpeppersfriends.com.