Mariah rescued on 12-30-1899

 Mariah is one of the saddest cases we have had - and we've had some pretty tragic ones. We were contacted in the middle of August by a woman who had been referred to us by Newfie Rescue, who realized that that the dog in question was not a Newfie but a TM. She lived in the high desert above LA, and wrote:

"Almost two weeks ago I found a TM in the desert which I assumed was a Newfoundland. Based on what I know about Newf's, I have attempted to befriend this dog and have her trust me. When I found her, I approached her and she came charging at me, barking and drooling. She stopped within 2 feet of me and backed off - but I'll tell you, that did scare me quite a bit. She was skin and bones. I went back the next day with a plate of food and water, and after I backed off, she devoured it. The next day I went back with a bigger bowl and a big laundry detergent size container of water. I have been back every day for almost two weeks. I've given 5-6 cups of dry food and one can of wet food every day, and every day she devours it. I've gotten to the point where I've touched her and scratched behind her ears - though she snapped at me which taught me to still give her her space.

She is always in the same spot. She is in a very desolate area of the desert with only one property across from her. I talked to those people, and they said they would not contact Animal Control. I think if Animal Control approached her, they would probably kill her before rescuing her. Apparently no one has been able to get close to this dog but me. I'm hoping to gain her trust and that I can put a collar around her, but so far that does not look like it will be happening soon. I now am able to walk right up to her when I've got food. I've even given her treats and even pushed a piece of meat into her mouth, which she gently took. Despite this, I still don't feel that she totally trusts me. By the looks of it, people have thrown rocks at her. She is very scary when she comes running at you."

This kind woman kept at it (it was regularly as hot as 110), was finally able to get a collar and leash on her, and took her home for several weeks. She was also kind enough to bring Mariah to TM Rescue. Mariah warmed up quickly and is doing well. We've put some weight back on her and she's good with other dogs and cats and loves going for walks. Mariah will need a very experienced home where she'll never be abandonned again.

Great news - Mariah is staying in southern California and has moved in with a couple who recently lost their TM girl.