Blue Bear’s sole home for the last 11 years had been with his father, but that all changed last week.
Blue Bear’s father couldn’t find a place to stay, so the senior mastiff ended up at Trenton Animals Rock. Blue Bear was baffled as to why he was in a shelter and why his father wouldn’t stop sobbing. He screamed and barked, terrifying the staff at the shelter until his father urged him to sit and Danielle Gletow approached him.
“I went over to him, and he immediately leaned his head into my waist and let me pet him,” Gletow, director of Trenton Animals Rock, told The Dodo. “It was just heartbreaking.”
Gletow realized Blue Bear wasn’t aggressive — he was just confused and sad. Gletow promised Blue Bear’s owner that the dog wouldn’t have to spend the night in the shelter and set about finding him a foster situation. But without the only family he’d ever known, Blue Bear started crying.
“We attempted to put Blue Bear in a cage just to get our bearings and make some calls, and he was just really upset,” Gletow added. “So we took him inside the office and he sat down in my lap.”
“He’d go over to the door and sit in front of it weeping every time he had,” she said. “When he turned around, he had tears streaming down his cheeks. I’m not exaggerating when I say I was in tears.”
Gletow promised Blue Bear she wouldn’t leave the shelter that night until he found a temporary home. But at 130 pounds with severe arthritis in his back legs, she knew placing Blue Bear wouldn’t be easy.
Gletow filmed a Facebook Live video of Blue Bear, and suddenly, calls and messages from all over the country started coming in.
Thankfully, Madison, a local foster, watched the terrible video and offered to take Blue Bear so he could begin to decompress. Blue Bear eventually began to unwind at Madison’s residence.
“We put a cushion on the floor, and he lay his head on it, and Madison and I just sat with him and hugged him and spent some time with him,” Gletow recalled. “He’s a wonderful sweetheart.” He reminds me of a gentle giant.”
Thankfully, Madison, a local foster, watched the terrible video and offered to take Blue Bear so he could begin to decompress. Blue Bear eventually began to unwind at Madison’s residence.
“We put a cushion on the floor, and he lay his head on it, and Madison and I just sat with him and hugged him and spent some time with him,” Gletow recalled. “He’s a wonderful sweetheart.” He reminds me of a gentle giant.”
Trenton Animals Rock is just one example of how they are attempting to assist the creatures in their neighborhood.
“A lot of people in this city aren’t aware that this is a no-kill shelter, so they’re hesitant to contact us,” she says “Gletow explained. “We’ve attempted to make this shelter a more friendly environment for the city, demonstrating that we can be a resource. They don’t have to be frightened to call out for assistance before it’s too late.”
While Blue Bear’s destiny remains unknown, one thing is certain: no more tears will be shed.
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