They say that the eyes are the mirrors of the soul. Even so, it takes a special person to be able to look into them and see not only who you are, but who you can become.
Who Queenie was, and who she’d become, were not at all clear when she arrived at the APL. Queenie’s owner abandoned her. A neighbor looked after her for a month or so; when it became clear the owners were not coming back, the neighbor contacted the APL to surrender Queenie.
Queenie was very shy when she arrived. Slowly, she began to interact with people, and go outside for walks. After about a month, it looked like her time had come, and she was adopted. Unfortunately, when left unattended and uncrated, Queenie became stressed, and tore things up in the house. Her adopters brought her back to the APL.
Over the next few months, Queenie began to be more comfortable and less fearful and she was adopted again! Unfortunately, that adopter returned her in less than a week.
Queenie, the adopter reported, was not a good fit for their family; she was hard for the pregnant adopter to walk, wouldn’t eat unless she was alone, and was reluctant to go outside.
First abandoned, then with two unsuccessful placements, it seemed that Queenie was one very unlucky girl. Sometimes, though, bad experiences and missed opportunities turn out to be part of a larger plan.
While Queenie was testing out adopters, Megan was looking for a house. She had been looking at shelters and rescue dogs on line, and Queenie caught her eye. But the timing wasn’t quite right. After she bought and moved into her house, Megan saw that Queenie had returned to the APL. “I knew she was meant to be mine,” Megan recalls. She remembers approaching Queenie’s kennel. “She was curled up in the corner with wide eyes.” Megan looked into those eyes, and knew Queenie was the one. “I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and knew I could give her the calm and supportive home she needed.” Queenie apparently liked what she saw in Megan, too. Megan recalls, “As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, I looked in my backseat and Queenie had the biggest smile on her face, drooling everywhere.”
The third time was the charm. Megan is giving this brave, beautiful girl the patience, love and affection that she needs. While she still struggles a bit with other people, Megan reports that Queenie has made a lot of progress. And she still loves tearing things up, but with Megan’s guidance, Queenie now limits her “destructive” activity to de-stuffing her toys and shredding paper while Megan is at work. When Megan gets home, it’s all belly rubs and cuddles.
The grin on Queenie’s face and the light in her eyes tell it all: Queenie is home, and is becoming the dog that Megan saw when she looked in her eyes. “Queenie is special because even though she has had a rough start to her life and continues to struggle, she has the biggest heart. I can't wait to continue seeing her progress.” Thank you, Megan, for giving Queenie the happily-ever-after she deserves!
Information about the Cleveland APL
To meet the adoptable animals at the Cleveland APL, visit our adoption center in Tremont at 1729 Willey Avenue in Cleveland or our PetSmart Charities® Everyday Adoption Center in the Parma PetSmart® store at 6870 Ridge Road. To view all of the animals who are waiting for loving homes online or on your mobile device, visit
www.ClevelandAPL.org or download our free adoptions app on your iOS or Android device.
Our Facebook page is called “Cleveland Animal Protective League”. Here is the link to it for your reference:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cleveland-Animal-Protective-League/29396512928
Our Twitter handle is @Cleveland APL. Here is a link:
https://twitter.com/ClevelandAPL