Eddie and Yarlly didn’t have an easy start to life.
Every day was a struggle. Their caregiver fed them just one small bag of food each month – which wasn’t enough to even last a week. The starving duo roamed their neighbourhood in search of food, scouring through garbage cans and breaking into garages to find anything to satisfy their hunger.
Eddie, Yarlly and Stevie were malnourished and neglected.
The dogs were in desperate need of help when, thankfully, the community reported the situation to the Alberta SPCA. Eddie and Yarlly were surrendered and taken into our care. Both had health complications due to severe malnourishment and needed urgent veterinary attention.
The pair responded well to initial care and were beginning to heal physically, but the next phase of their journey wasn’t going to be easy. Eddie had lingering stomach issues, and Yarlly showed aggressive tendencies around people. It looked as if the pair would struggle to find families willing to adopt them.
Eddie (left) and Yarlly (right) were both extremely underweight when they came into our care
From Rescue To Recovery
After spending several months at a shelter without much improvement, the pair were transferred to a new rescue to continue rehabilitating before they were ready for adoption.“Both dogs came in super skinny,” said Anna, one of the new caregivers. “I was worried about their weights. They were calm and quiet until they quickly found their voices. Eddie was always better behaved than Yarlly in the beginning. He was easier to deal with.”
The caregivers invested time and patience with Yarlly, but he was still displaying aggressive tendencies and loud barking, struggling to make progress.
Meanwhile, Eddie was steadily healing, putting on much needed weight and quickly became a calm, gentle dog. After almost a year with his new caregivers, Eddie was officially put up for adoption.
New Families
Within a week, two families came to meet Eddie, and both knew right away that he would make a perfect fit for their families. Both put in adoption applications, and it looked like Eddie would be leaving his brother behind.
Eddie’s new caregivers knew he would fit in with their family
While both families wanted to adopt Eddie, Anna invited the second family back for a visit with Yarlly. Even though he wasn’t officially up for adoption, she hoped after all their work with him he could show them he would fit in with their family.
And that’s exactly what he did.
He calmly greeted his new family and their dogs, walking carefully on his leash and hardly letting out a single bark. Although they had come for Eddie, they were leaving with Yarlly.
On the same day, 15 months after first being rescued, Eddie and Yarlly were off to their new homes for a life of love.
Saying goodbye to the pair was a bittersweet moment for Anna and the rest of the caregivers.
“After a while they ended up being the dogs I wanted to take home the most,” said Anna. “They were both different dogs with no more weight issues when they left to go to their new homes. Yarlly is loyal, smart, and sweet. Funny how he went from a loud barker to a library assistant with his new caregiver.”
Fitting In
Both have now been with their families for more than a month and settled right in.
“We picked the perfect dog, he is settling in so well,” said Yarlly’s new caregiver.
“I fell in love with Eddie’s face the moment I saw him,” said his new guardian.
“It honestly feels like Eddie has always been a part of our family. He gets along wonderfully with our kids. Over the last few weeks, his personality has truly come through.”
Eddie is getting along excellently in his new home
Compassion rescued Eddie and Yarlly.
It took a concerned community to report their dire situation.
Veterinarians and veterinary technicians to provide lifesaving care.
Caregivers willing to work through health and behavioural challenges.
And families willing to open their homes.
Without this network of empathy, Eddie and Yarlly’s stories would have ended much differently. Instead, they found safety, healing and families they now call home.
The Alberta SPCA responds to thousands of calls per year, investigating animals in distress across the province. With 80% of our funding coming from donations, we rely on generous Albertans to enable us to be on the front lines of animal protection.
Click here to learn how you can contribute to animal welfare today!