Dassa the rescue dog

Thousands of dogs end up in shelters every year in the UK but many are given a second chance in a forever home. The 20th of May is Rescue Dog Day, an important day to highlight to hopefully get more people to consider adopting. We’re bringing you the touching story of Dassa the rescue dog, who was adopted by Laura Hatcher. A story that has altered and enriched her life, and one that’s done the same for Dassa. 

“I saw my Dassa and instantly knew she was the one” Laura told Pets4Homes. Throughout the interview, Laura kept apologizing for sounding “cheesy”, but the love that was overflowing in her words was simply a reflection of the love she feels for Dassa.

Laura had been searching for a rescue dog for a while and truly felt that giving a dog in need a new home was something important in her life. For one reason or another, things just didn’t work out with other rescues she had her eye on, mainly due to practical issues. There just wasn’t a right fit, until Dassa. Browsing Instagram one evening, Laura saw a plea for  a dog at a Croatian rescue center. The post headline read “Dassa has sadly never received any interest or offer of a home to call her own. She’s a gorgeous girl, whose time is running out at the shelter. Unfortunately this means she’s at risk of being put to sleep. Surely this cannot be her fate?”. Laura answered the call and fate brought Dassa to her. 

Answering the call meant a meeting first of all. Along with her husband, Laura went straight away the next day. “From the first second we met her she took to us like we’d always been part of her pack. And the feeling was 100% mutual.” And so Dassa came home with them. Of course, in reality there’s a process to go through and Laura advises anyone considering it to do their research and find a trusted organisation. She told Pets4Homes that vaccinations, microchipping, spay/neuter and a pet passport were all included in Dassa’s adoption fee. When asked what advice she’d give others who are bringing a rescue dog home, she said “The most important thing once they come home with you is to be patient and attentive. They’re going to be nervous and want to find their place in the home. Depending on your home situation (kids, other pets, etc.) be mindful.”

There were challenges, as there are with any animal you bring into your home. Dassa was reactive to other dogs and has separation anxiety because of her previous experiences and Laura told us that it’s been and continues to be a long road with training. Understanding is key in these situations, something which Laura has in abundance. She sought advice from a dog behaviourist in the quest to improve Dassa’s life. “In talking with some dog behavior specialist, they’ve said she’s reactive because she wants to protect her relationship with us and the separation anxiety derives from not having been cared for in this way before. Really heartbreaking when you think about it and makes those challenges for us seem so much less so because of the challenges she faced previously.”

So it’s love, pure and simple. What does Laura love about Dassa? “Her personality is love, spirit and zoomies. It’s taken a lot of work (and my husband has played a huge role in that, literally the meme of didn’t want a dog and now can’t live without it), but we’ve brought her so far in her development and she’s the light of my life….right behind my husband, of course”. Laura beams as she tells us how Dassa has enriched their lives exponentially, how she always has a smile for them when they need it and is the ultimate love-giving-snuggle-expert. 

Needless to say that when we asked Laura what she would say to others thinking of adopting a rescue dog, she said “DO IT!”. Her final words to me: “Their joy transfers to everyone in the home”.