Shadow came to our shelter June 17 2006, as a stray pup found with another little female pup in a ditch near Melbourne. Both pups were severely malnourished and covered in ticks. Shadow in particular was very cautious and liked to hide rather than let you come near him. We were able to line up a very good home for the female, since she was the more out going and friendly pup.

Shadow slowly came out of his shell. We thought the pups were around 5 months old, since they were already loosing their puppy teeth. I did not think that they would grow much more. How wrong I was! What came in as a weak and shy, tail between the legs pup now is a magnificent 70 lbs plus dog.

Shadow has never stopped growing. He continues to amaze all of us. He came in all about 20 lbs, every rib showing, floppy ears, looking very much like a small black lab. Within three weeks, his ears shot up and he turned into a more intelligent looking black shepherd. A month or so ago we noticed his eyes looked different. We are wondering if there is now some bull dog somewhere in his background. His coat when he came in was covered in scabs and actually had some bald spots. Now he has a thick black coat that is nice and wavy like that of a cocker spaniel.

In all the almost 30 years of doing animal control, and rescuing literally thousands of abandoned and lost dogs, I have never seen such a remarkable transformation. Shadow, against all odds, has turned into one magnificent dog! He likes to greet all who come to our shelter, and being a pup, he's always ready to play and laps up all the attention he can get.