A shelter dog who was rescued as a stray with her five puppies has “shut down” since seeing all her babies adopted while she has yet to find a forever home.
Karishma was found as a stray in Georgia. Lacy Landers, marketing manager at Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue in Bradenton, Florida, where Karishma is currently residing, told Newsweek she “wandered up to someone’s house while they were moving in.”
“She and her five puppies were outside living in the cold when a shelter took her in, but they didn’t have any space and asked us for help. She was kept at a vet’s office to keep warm before we could come get her,” Landers said.
Despite all of the hardships Karishma had endured, her focus on caring for her puppies was undimmed throughout the first few formative months of their lives both in and out of the shelter.
“She was a great mom to her babies, who were all able to nurse and grow big and strong despite their tough beginnings,” Landers said.
It didn’t take long for Karishma’s puppies to get adopted once they were fit, healthy and old enough. “All five of her puppies were adopted within days of becoming available, which is common for young desirable puppies,” Landers said.
Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue
That trend was previously highlighted in a study published on the website Priceonomics taking a closer look at adoption data trends from the website Petfinder.
At the time, 95 percent of all puppies listed ended up being adopted. The study highlighted the steady decline as dogs get older; 80.4 percent of young dogs listed were adopted, while that proportion dropped to 75.5 percent among adult canines and 68.2 percent among seniors.
Karishma may only be two years old, but it wasn’t just her advancing years that have played against her prospects of being adopted. She’s struggled badly in the shelter environment, having initially thrived in an alternative setting.
“Since coming into our care, Karishma was always very shy but warmed up quickly and was very sweet and loving,” Landers said. “When she stayed in a foster home, she did great with the other dog in the house and seemed relaxed.”
At this stage, the plan was for Karishma to return to the shelter with a view to being adopted. But since coming back, minus her puppies, Karishma has been a shadow of the dog that she was in the foster system.
“She shut down completely—not wanting to eat, come out and walk, or see people,” Landers said. “Since being here and working with our Shy Dog team, Karishma has begun to warm up, eat, and come out for walks but the shelter environment is just not ideal for her.”
Sadly, Karishma’s situation is a painfully familiar one to Landers and everyone at the shelter. “Dogs older than one year old, like Karishma who is now two, see longer stays at the shelter as they’re often overlooked,” she said. “Especially Karishma who is very shy and therefore does not come out or warm up quickly for adopters.”
But, having seen the happy dog that exists underneath her shy, scared exterior, the hope is that there’s someone out there willing to give Karishma the time and support she needs to regain that lost sense of self. Otherwise she may be left alone, waiting, a lot longer yet.
