The First Few Weeks
4-5-2026
We met Stella in the most ordinary place—a quiet parking lot—but nothing about that moment felt ordinary. She stood beside the rescue volunteer, trembling, her body low to the ground as if she was trying to disappear. Her eyes darted around nervously, and when my dad took a small step forward, she flinched and pulled back, clearly terrified of him. We were told that Stella had come from an abusive home. She had even arrived at the shelter with visible bite marks and injuries around her face—painful reminders of what she had been through.
On top of everything, Stella was also battling a serious illness called canine distemper. It’s a highly contagious viral disease that affects a dog’s respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Dogs with distemper can have symptoms like coughing, fever, vomiting, and in more severe cases, seizures or neurological damage. Because it spreads easily between dogs, Stella had to be completely quarantined. That meant no dog parks, no playdates—just careful, isolated care while she healed.
Bringing her home was both exciting and heartbreaking. She was so scared, especially of my dad, that she wouldn’t come near him at all. If he entered the room, she would retreat to a corner or hide behind me. It was clear she associated men with fear, and earning her trust would take time. But despite her fear, there was something gentle about Stella. She watched me closely, cautiously, as if she wanted to trust but didn’t quite know how.
Over the next few weeks, something incredible began to happen. Stella started to come out of her shell. At first, it was small things—sitting a little closer to me, letting me pet her without tensing up, following me from room to room. She began to realize she was safe. While she still kept her distance from my dad, she slowly started to relax when he was around, no longer shaking or hiding as much.
Without even realizing it, Stella became my best friend. She would curl up beside me, resting her head on my lap, finally at peace. Watching her learn to trust again was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve ever had. That scared, fragile dog we met in a parking lot was still there—but now, she was also brave, loving, and finally beginning to feel at home.