Petrified Pup Clutches Stuffed Elephant For Comfort While Waiting To Be Euthanized

Smokey, from his early puppy days, was enveloped in love and care by his family, who indulged him with an abundance of toys. Among these gifts, a stuffed elephant, distinguishable by its large ears, emerged as his unequivocal favorite. This toy, despite being vulnerable to the might of Smokey’s jaws, was treated with an exceptional level of tenderness by him. Smokey’s attachment to it was profound; it accompanied him on walks and was his constant companion through the night, a testament to his gentle and affectionate nature.

For five years, Smokey thrived in this nurturing environment, surrounded by affection and comfort. However, as it often happens in life, circumstances took an unforeseen turn. The stable and happy existence Smokey had come to know and love was about to be upended, marking the beginning of a new chapter that would test the resilience of his bond with his family and his adaptability to the changes ahead.

His owner lost his job, and they started to struggle. They downsized their home, but it still wasn’t enough. It became difficult to keep Smokey fed. So they decided to see if anyone they knew would be able to take care of him. But no one was able to accommodate such a large dog. 

When they found out that they were going to lose their house, they tried even harder to find him a new home. But finally, they had to face the facts that they could no longer care for Smokey. They made the extraordinarily difficult decision to surrender him to a shelter. They dropped him off with his favorite toy, and said goodbye forever. 

Smokey was shattered. His heart was completely broken. After losing his people and having to adjust to life in the shelter, Smokey started to suffer from severe anxiety. He had no interest in playing or interacting with any of the shelter volunteers. He simply laid in the corner of his crate, clutching his elephant in his mouth.

The shelter scrambled to get him adopted as soon as they possibly could as accommodations for intaking animals were extremely limited. The photos of him with his elephant drew attention from potential adopters, and the shelter was extremely hopeful that he would be adopted soon.

But every time a family came to see if they connected with him, he would hide in the corner. When they tried to approach him, he was so scared that he would growl. Since he started to show signs of aggression, the shelter was forced to take him off the list of “adoptable dogs.” Unfortunately, this essentially put him on death row, and he was headed towards being put down.

The shelter didn’t have the space or ability to accommodate a dog that they couldn’t get adopted. So the date was set. He had to be adopted by then or he would be euthanized. But the shelter wasn’t going to give-up. They didn’t want Smokey to die.