Meet Solider! He’s a sweet 13-year-old boy with a rough past but a heart of gold.
Life wasn’t fair to Soldier, but now he’s living like a king.
His mom, Robin, tells us all about him in the story below.
A Rough Start
It all started when Soldier wandered onto our property at about 10-14 weeks old and burrowed under some bushes near the back of our property.
He was scared, growled at us, and wouldn’t let us near him.
We quickly realized both of his back legs had been injured.
We left food and water for him, each day moving them closer to our house.
We wanted Soldier to know he could trust us.
One night we heard him screaming and ran outside to find him stuck in a trap just outside our back fence.
Somebody had dug a hole under our chain-link fence and placed a large metal trap on the other side!
My husband jumped the fence and carried the trap with Soldier in it all the way up to the barn.
We sat on the floor of a stall and opened the trap door.
Soldier, then a puppy, crawled on top of my husband’s lap and rested his head against our legs.
He knew he was safe – he trusted us.
That was 13 years ago. We will never forget that night.
What is Soldier’s personality like?
We’ll never know exactly what happened to Soldier before we found him as a puppy.
All the signs point to abuse. And whoever was abusing him was trying to get him back.
Whatever his previous owners did to him left him traumatized.
The vet said he was most likely severely kicked in the stifles of both his back legs and yanked around by a collar or even the nape of his neck.
He suffers from PTSD, growling and snapping at us if we touch his back legs or try to pick him up.
But Solider isn’t aggressive. He never bites. He’s just wary of certain gestures.
It breaks our hearts to know how cruel someone was to a puppy as sweet and innocent as Solider.
Now he’s safe with us. We’ve been his guardians for 13 years and counting.
Happily Ever After
Just based on looks, Soldier looks like a weenie dog/chihuahua mix, but we’ve never done a DNA test to confirm.
All we know is that he’s cute as a button!
We love Soldier so much. He’s stolen our hearts and we’re so grateful to have him.
We’ve protected him from being triggered by anything that could remind him of his past trauma.
We’re so glad we could spare him of any further abuse or pain.
He belongs with us.
Kate Kenner
Tuesday 31st of August 2021
Darn, what is wrong with so many people? It is beyond me how anyone can cause so much suffering to an animal and just not care. Thankfully Soldier found people who gave him love instead of pain and stress and understand who he is and what he needs.
Rob Abbott
Tuesday 31st of August 2021
Thank you for saving his life.Soldier is a handsome little man.