Jasmine, Manchester, VT

Hi there! My name is Jasmine and I was saved because of a few exceptional humans who fought for my life, with one in particular who became my foster mom.

My story started when a shelter in Driggs, Idaho, was forced to close their doors in May 2011 due to mismanagement and poor operations that oftentimes threatened the welfare of several of its animals. That’s also where I met Lakota, one of my rescuers and foster mom.

She volunteered at the shelter while doing research for a documentary film in Idaho. After a few weeks of fostering dogs, she was asked to work there, and she said yes.

Soon she noticed poor decisions and bad practices, such as using bear spray to break up a dogfight! The smell was overwhelming that humans coughed terribly coming into the building the next day. Imagine how us dogs felt? The Operations Manager actually sprayed bear spray directly into a 50-pound dog’s mouth, spray made for a 500-pound animal! This didn’t happen to me, thank goodness! I was not involved.

Because of some poor decisions that led to dog fights (and vet bills through the roof), the shelter ran out of money and the Operations Manager was laid off by the board members. That’s when all hell broke loose.

Besides me, there were 13 other dogs and 44 cats that desperately needed a place to go. Many people came to help us, including three animal shelters from Montana and one from Wyoming. Lakota came in as a personal rescue operation with some former board members from the shelter and some volunteers. Without them, I would not be here.

There was a lot of talk around me. Partly due to my breed, I was put in the midst of a behind-the-scenes political scandal, and the shelter’s many issues. A few people tried to regain control of the shelter after the Operations Manager was laid off. They were her friends ranging from Veterinarians and Technicians, to the newspaper, to the Sheriff. I guess humans called me “a scapegoat” even though I was just a 2 1/2 year old female pit-mix.

The first attempt at my life came when a Vet Tech showed up at the shelter under instructions to euthanize me. When Lakota asked who authorized this, the reply was “a Board Member,” which was a lie. One phone call proved this to be false and Lakota stopped their attempts to put me down.

The plan to destroy me was the first of many attempts to take control of the shelter — attempts involving authority figures in a small community where politics run deep. After more threats were made against me, Lakota was allowed to remove me from the shelter, knowing she could not keep me. I was just happy I got to go with her, my foster mom!

Together we visited Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. I received a wonderful evaluation before we drove to Manchester, Vermont.

I’m safe now, living with my foster mom but I am hoping to find a forever home of my own.

Here’s what I love:

I LOVE to play fetch and I’m good about giving the ball back to have it thrown again
I LOVE ice cubes (although too many will make me throw up)
I LOVE the snow! I eat it like a snowplow 🙂
I LOVE belly rubs and any treat is acceptable!
I LOVE Kong toys! They are wonderful, especially when stuffed with treats
Oh, and I can LEAP through the air with great enthusiasm! I would make a GREAT agility dog since I can jump over a 10-foot fence
I have what my foster mom calls a “cannon ball run” — I get this HUGE smile on my face and I run like a bullet that can cause whiplash if you’re not careful. (I will especially do this RIGHT before I do my number 2 business. Hehe!)

What you should know about me:

I’m dog selective. I had a scuffle with another dog when I was at the bad shelter. I had friends there though too. I played with Tiger, a male Catahoula, all day and we matched energy/play style very well. I LOVE him! Now that I’m out of the shelter, I’m more curious and excited in a positive manner. I even get along with Otis, my foster mom’s dog. She refers to us as, Lady and the Tramp. But she keeps a close eye on me on our walks, and she would never let me stroll off leash.
NO CATS! This is very important because I had a very bad incident with a cat. My foster mom says that I’m prey-driven so absolutely no cats!

I’m a big snuggler and super affectionate with people — I like to give tons of kisses! I’m spayed and up-to-date on vaccinations. My foster mom says I’m a very wonderful dog despite spending nearly a year in the shelter. I just need to find the right forever home, ideally with a fenced-in yard to run and play.

Oh, and I’m a great traveler. I just lie down on the back seat of the car or sit on the front seat and stare out the window. When parked, I will sit in the driver seat and Otis will sit in the passenger seat, very much like a Sunday-drive couple. 🙂

My foster mom is my angel and she does not want to see anything bad happen to me. She told me her door will forever be open to taking me back if there are ever any issues with a potential adopter.

She loves me dearly and calls me a sweetheart!

If you’re interested to give me a chance to be your family member, please contact my foster mom, Lakota, at katzdogg@gmail.com. Thank you!