12 Days of Happy Tails: Meet Zion
Zion is an 8-year-old Boroughbred who came to us from the Animal Care Centers of NYC in the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown in May — her adopter Rachel tells her story!
Zion needed an urgent placement when her first foster wasn’t able to take her due to a family tragedy. I got the request on a Friday night, and Zion arrived the next morning! I've always loved pit bulls, so I was thrilled when I saw her photo and a little tipsy when I said yes. However, it is the best decision I've made after a few glasses of wine! 🍷
Initially, Zion needed nonstop care as she had several medical issues: severe anxiety, difficulty breathing, allergies, a bladder infection, and the need for palate surgery. Muddy Paws paid for every single treatment, thanks to incredible donations from the community!
After some TLC, Zion healed and showed her true self: the most loving, polite, smart as a whip, gentle pup I've known. She became my partner in crime, and we went everywhere together. I couldn't say goodbye!
After adopting Zion, I took her to meet the family and her sister dog. They live on a lake, and Zion shocked us with her love of water activities. She was swimming, kayaking, and paddle-boarding (evidently, I need to move to a lake). She's a hysterical mix of many animals as she looks like a cow, oinks like a pig when talking, and hops like a bunny when excited! With her 'just happy to be here' attitude, Zion wants to be involved and help in any way possible, like gathering sticks when making a campfire.
To fine-tune her leash walking and social skills, we've been working with professional dog trainer Drea's Dog World. It's been so transformative--not only has Zion nearly perfected leash behavior, but she's generally much more relaxed.
We now split our time between Prospect Park in Brooklyn and Lake Cochichuate, outside of Boston. To keep Zion the most comfortable and safe in these new environments, I spoiled her with new gear (a life vest, parka, backpack, socks, and boots!).
Zion doesn't walk--she struts! When people see her, they often say, "What a happy dog!" This gives me all the proud mamma feels! Adopting Zion was, by far, the best thing to happen this year.
