October 2014

The Story of Hope

The story of Hope unfortunately begins like this...

Abused, rejected puppies rescued in Portsmouth

The Virginian-Pilot

PORTSMOUTH — Three puppies taped together and tossed into a swampy area near Greenway Court West were found Thursday night, though one of the pups was dead when officials arrived at the scene in Grove Park , police said Friday .

Residents rescued the animals and cut the tape off. One of the surviving puppies had a thick piece of wire around his neck, according to Animal Control Officer Michelle Leonard .

The dogs were described as Labrador-mix puppies. The female survivor is almost blond, with a white patch and white paws. The male is a darker tan, with brindle markings and a dark snout. They are about 10 weeks old.

“They had tape all over them and they were covered in mud, and they’re so little,” Leonard said Friday .

The surviving pups were examined and cleaned by a veterinarian and taken to the Portsmouth Humane Society , where they were listed in fair condition.

“There’s no earthly reason for this to happen,” Leonard said. Contact Animal Control at (757) 393-8430 or call 1-888-LOCK-U-UP with information.

Two of the three puppies are shown here after they were saved. They were named "Hope" and "Lucky",

The Coulsting's had talked about getting a dog. Their son wanted one but they had a 10 year old cat and didn't want to disrupt her world by bringing in a dog that may or may not get along. So they told their son that once the cat was gone they would think about getting a dog. They also had a lot going on in their family. They were getting married and blending their family and with so many changes, perhaps it wasn't the best time to add a dog to the family. But right after the wedding, while the family was packing for the honeymoon, the news report about Hope aired. Dana knew right away that the time was right. The dogs became available for adoption on June 5th and they went immediately and picked up Hope and took her home. When they went to tell their son the great news, tears filled his eyes! They asked what was wrong, and he wanted to know what had happened to the cat! In fact, the cat was just fine and became fast friends with Hope. It is a good thing they didn't wait until something happened to the cat because she lived a wonderful, long life and recently passed away at the age of 18!

After eight years, Hope is still the "queen bee" in the Coulsting's family! In spite of her very rough start, she is a very lucky pup.