A Dog Named Shed

It was a cold morning back in November. I had lifted the shades in our bedroom to let more light in, and saw what looked like a silhouette of a very thin dog running around our backyard. I actually had to stare for a while to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I put on my warm boots and robe and braved the cold to try and get a closer glimpse of our new visitor.  As soon as she spotted me coming near, she gave me a little growl and ran with her tail between her legs underneath our shed. I have no idea of how long she has lived underneath our shed, or how she got there.  All we knew is that she was super skinny and needed some food and water, which we gladly provided. 

1st photo

After a month of feeding her.

For the last couple of months we have been feeding this mystery dog and trying to convince her to come out of her home underneath the shed.  We used treats and other things to try and get her to come out, but she wouldn't budge. We had decided early on that we didn't want to call animal control on her because we thought that since she was so skittish and didn't like human contact that she might get put down right way.  I was able to get some sneak photo shots of her wondering around our backyard and I listed a found dog notice on Craigslist and the local paper, but nobody responded to the notices.  We figured until we got a response, or decided what to do with her. We thought it was better to just let her live under the shed and see if she would come around on her own time.  

It was interesting and frustrating to watch her from the back windows running around our backyard. It was interesting to see how she would bark at neighbors walking by with their dogs as if she was protecting our yard, but frustrating because she wouldn't let me get near her to hold her. She seemed like a sweet dog, but we wondered if she would ever be able to handle human contact.

This frustration got the best of me this past Tuesday. The Señor had a freezer burned steak taking up room in our fridge, so we decided to cook it up and tempt the dog out with it.  We organized a mission and called it Operation Get Shed Dog. We went out to our backyard and I tempted her with the steak while the Señor hid behind the shed. I put a trail of steak coming away from the shed and then went inside and closed the door. I watched with anticipation as the dog came out of the shed to eat yummy steak.  This is when we made our move. The Señor quickly moved and blocked the shed entrance with a cinder block. We were able to corner her and held her till she loved us! She was shaking terribly, but eventually calmed down and ate the rest of the steak. Operation Get Shed Dog was a huge success. We have had some dodgy moments with the pup as she was still really cautious around us, but she has quickly adapted and is very loving and friendly.

Today we took the pup to get scanned for a microchip at an animal clinic near by.  I'll admit I was very nervous to find out if she had a microchip or not. Over the course of a week I have grown to love this dog so much, it would be hard on my heart to give her up. I did know however, that it would be the right thing to do. So with high hopes I brought her in and the tech asked me "What’s your dog's name?" I responded quickly, saying Shed.  The tech waved what looked a huge wand over her scanning for a microchip, and didn't find one.  At this moment I gave Shed the biggest hug and tears immediately started streaming down my face.  I couldn't control myself, but I was elated to have Shed as part of our family.

So without further adieu,

I introduce you to our new four-legged friend. 

Shed Davis