While at Katie’s house, Batman’s personality really came through. It was clear that this poor dog really never knew any life like this. Katie’s own dog was so excited to play with him, and even piled up her toys one by one in front of him, determined to find the one that he wanted. Batman stared at the toys, with no idea what he was supposed to do with them. His time at Katie’s went well, as he put on some weight, and learned to be around other animals.
After Katie had taken her turn, Gloria; North Town receptionist & founder of Four Paws One Heart kitten rescue program, offered to try him out at home with her three cats. Gloria, a seasoned kitten and cat foster mom, had never fostered a dog before and was anxious to try. Batman’s progress since heading to Gloria’s house is outwardly noticeable, as she really took time to develop good habits and give him some good training. Aside from a humbling experience being beat up by Gloria’s eldest cat, Batman was able to settle in nicely and begin to learn how to be a dog.
It wasn’t until recently that the staff at North Town found out that his past was much more complicated than we could have ever imagined. As with all stray pet cases, Brampton Animal Shelter takes ownership of these animals. The BAS had been told that the dog was found on an innocent civilian’s lawn but the OSPCA became involved and investigated his situation further. As it turns out, Batman was no alone in this dire situation. The people who claimed to ‘find him’ may have known more than what they were leading on. From what the OSPCA has let us know, Batman is a very lucky dog. We are very sad to report, not all of the others made it out alive.
Luckily for Batman, the past seems to be the past. What makes his case so emotionally captivating is the look in his eyes and the wag of his tail when he sees a familiar face. It’s the fact that he invited me for a belly rub, even after all that he had been through. I realized that inside of this little dog was nothing but forgiveness. He had been the one to endure the severe neglect. Batman is by no means the only dog to experience suffering like that. There are approximately 16, 000 abuse cases investigated by the OSPCA alone each year (ref: www.support.ontariospca.ca). What we must take from his story is that he is one of the lucky ones, not only because he got free, but also because he has proven that he can turn his life around.
Batman is still at Gloria’s house and is in many ways still recovering. While you can no longer see every bone in his body, and his wound is almost closed up, his emotional wounds will take the longest to heal. All we can do is give him the attention and care he so deserves, and take it upon ourselves to make sure that his future is much better than his past.
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