Out of the Cage! (Spring 2007)

Picasso Veterinary Fund in Action: Sheeba – Home at Last

Things hadn't gone well for Sheeba for quite some time. Twice while living with a family in Brooklyn she ended up at the AC&C shelter on Linden Boulevard. Both times Great Dane rescue stepped up to the plate to take her in but at the last minute she was returned to her family.

Then one day not long ago, Gay Wayne, a former NYC Detective who volunteers with Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL), received a call from a real estate agent in Brooklyn. The agent had foiled a young boy's plan to tie his big lanky dog outside her office. When the agent learned from the boy that his family was being evicted from their apartment, the agent called Gay. Gay called Mayor's Alliance President Jane Hoffman, and Jane called AC&C's Director of Shelter Operations Liz Keller. Jane and Liz (Mayor's Alliance President and Director of Shelter Operations, respectively — an unlikely pair to do a late-night run to pick up a dog in Brooklyn!) drove to the shelter, picked up an anxious and frightened Sheeba, and delivered her to NYC Veterinary Specialists, a 24-hour specialty hospital on Manhattan's West Side. (Jane says that if you have to go pick up a big dog in the middle of the night, Liz is a good companion to have along — since all dogs seem to love Liz!)

Vets at the hospital examined Sheeba and took her in for the night until Gay could come for her in the morning. The Picasso Veterinary Fund paid for Sheeba's care at the hospital. Next morning, Gay drove into the city, picked up Sheeba, and drove her to her new foster home with Inga Hotaling, coordinator of Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League New York. (MAGDRL has nine chapters, and each state has a different coordinator.)

While awaiting her new forever home, Sheeba shared comfortable digs with Inga and Inga's foster-turned-adoptee, River. The two dogs got along famously. But happily, on Mother's Day, Sheeba got a new "mom" when she was adopted by a woman whose Dane recently died. It's a great home, and the adopter is retired, so Sheeba will get plenty of attention.

Ah, Sheeba is home at last!