LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It's hard to believe, it was hardly six months ago when two now healthy, happy dogs were on the doorstep of death.
They were both rescued after neighbors called in concerns to Nelson County Animal Control. Even after they made it to the shelter, their condition was so bad that staff weren't sure they would survive.
"They were just neglected. Bad,” Nelson County Shelter Kennel Attendant Christy Girdley said.
In Nelson County, the shelter sees a lot of stray dogs, but animal control said it’s rare to see neglect cases.
"These were the first two that I had dealt with, and they just happened to be back-to-back,” Animal Control Officer Todd Bartley said.
Bartley said the concerns came from neighbors. The first was reporting an emaciating pit-mix in Bardstown.
"We had gotten an anonymous tip from a neighbor stating that the dog was severely emaciated. But the pictures we were presented with didn't really show in detail, so I wanted to make sure I saw it for myself."
Bartley said he drove by the home on Pittsburg Road in Bardstown multiple times, but never saw the dog outside.
At his request, the neighbor sent more pictures. Heartbreaking images showed the dog now known as ‘Sugar’ tied up and fighting for her life. The pictures were the evidence he needed to get police involved and get Sugar out.
"Myself and two Bardstown police officers went out, executed the search warrant, we were able to get Sugar. She was found in a small crate in the kitchen,” Bartley said.
Sadly, Sugar was the lucky one. Officers also discovered another dog on the property, who was already dead.
"It's just sad. If you're going to have an animal, why treat them like that?"
Hours after Sugar was brought into the shelter, Officer Bartley was out investigating another call of alleged animal cruelty in another part of town.
A dog, now known as Gypsy, had run to a neighbor's house. Those neighbors snapped pictures and sent them to animal control, knowing she needed help.
"She was severely, severely emaciated. They gave her food and water that night. I went out the very next morning,” Bartley said.
Local officers arrested the owners of the two dogs and charged them with animal cruelty while Officer Bartley got the dogs to safety at the shelter. They were evaluated as soon as they got there, and staff admitted it didn't look good.
"When I first saw Gypsy and Sugar both I did not have high hopes for them. I thought that they were broken. I thought that they wouldn't last. That's just the truth of it,” Lydia Graves, Rescue Coordinator for the Nelson County Animal Shelter, said.
The dogs are survivors, they fought to recover, and staff believe they helped each other along the way.
"I don't believe in coincidences. These girls were meant to come here at the same time together,” Shelter Director Brooke Coffell said.
Week by week, staff watched them heal in side-by-side kennels.
"They just started bonding and getting closer and closer every day and putting on weight. They were just so happy,” Girdley remembered.
Eventually staff introduced the girls and they've been inseparable ever since. "It's like they're sisters now,” Girdley said.
Like human sisters, their personalities couldn't be more different. Gypsy is considered the laid-back girl while Sugar has more energy and enthusiasm.
“She will crawl into your lap, thinking she's a 12-pound lap dog. She's not”, Graves said through a smile.
The one thing they share is they were saved just in time.
"That's what makes me come to work every day are these stories, because it's not always like that. It's not always a happy ending,” Graves said.
Now, this happy ending needs just one more chapter. Both dogs need foster home willing to take them in while their owners’ court case works through the system. Gypsy and Sugar can’t be adopted until the court cases are resolved.
"A soft place to land to get the feel of a home life, until it's time to find their forever home,” Coffell said, "Just being able to get them out of the shelter until it is time for them to be adopted- that is what we're really looking for."
Right now, these dogs think shelter life is as good as life gets. They have no idea just how much better home life can and will be.
Staff would love for Gypsy and Sugar to go to a foster home together, but they know that might not be possible.
If you live in Nelson County and have the space to take in one of these girls temporarily, call the Nelson County Animal Shelter at (502) 348-1885.
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