Sonny spent much of his life homeless before he was rescued by the Jackson County Animal Shelter (JCAS) in March of 2023. The staff immediately knew that his body and his spirit had been through a rough past. “He just looked like he was about to give up,” Lydia Sattler, Jackson, Michigan’s animal services director, said. “He looked broken in his eyes.”
Sonny's ears were clipped, nails severely overgrown, coat patchy, and he was heartworm positive. Despite clearly being abused by his previous owner, he was one of the most loving dogs in the shelter. The staff began treating him immediately and he began improving slowly day by day.
“You could literally see the life come back into his eyes as we were caring for him,” Sattler said. As he became better, his affection began to shine through. If someone bent down, Sonny would immediately bury his head into their chest for as long as possible. “He literally just wants to hug everyone,” Sattler said. “He just melts into you. It’s almost like he can’t get close enough.”
“With daily care and someone to love him, he’s gotten so much better,” Sattler said. “It’s like he’s grateful for it. I don’t know how to explain it, you can just feel it.” Sonny is ready to be adopted, but his appearance tends to scare people off. Soon, the staff knows he will find his forever home.
“He looks awful, but he’s gonna get better,” Sattler said. “His coat is gonna grow back, he’s gonna gain weight … his ears are never gonna be normal again, but that’s just an appearance. A perfect match for Sonny would be someone who has as gentle and loving of a spirit as he does so they could share that every day,” Sattler continued. “That’s what he deserves.”
A good samaritan has already covered his adoption fee, and the shelter is paying for 100% of his heartworm treatment once he is adopted. All he needs, is to find his forever home. “To meet Sonny is to love him,” Sattler said. “And the overwhelming love he has to share after being so neglected is incredible. He’s just so sweet.”
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