It would be right to assume that Shelly Blount of Virgina loves dogs. She already had three rescue dogs at home, but after seeing a post online about a dog that was about to be put to sleep, she was intent on rescuing the dog.
Circumstances intervened, however, and in her desire to adopt one dog, she ended up changing the lives of three – Caleb, Charisma, and Bella.
After seeing the announcement of the dog that was about to be put to sleep, Blount immediately contacted the shelter. Fortunately, someone had adopted the dog before her, and it was rescued. With a sense of relief, she, however, began to think about other dogs who might be in the same situation.
She asked about other dogs who were similarly in danger. Sadly, a dog named Caleb was next in line. So Blount got in her car and rushed to the shelter.
Blount endured the four-hour drive from Virginia to the shelter in North Carolina, along with a sympathetic friend. She was determined to adopt Caleb but when she got to the shelter, there two other dogs that were scheduled for the same sad procedure.
Blount didn’t hesitate. “I asked the limit on how many you could adopt. They said there wasn’t one. So I decided to get all three.”
And that’s how Blount ended up driving home with Caleb, Charisma, and Bella.
And Blount easily had no regrets, after seeing how excited the three dogs were on the long drive home. They could barely contain their joy at finding a new home, and Blount knew that she had made the right decision. “Caleb was sooo excited — kept giving kisses from the back seat, and his tail was wagging so fast,” Blount said.
“Bella was so content being held so she sat in my friend’s lap and literally didn’t move. Charisma, my sweet little angel, was literally hugging me and slept the entire ride.”
Though she had not planned to adopt THREE dogs, Blount really couldn’t bear the idea of leaving them to their fate at the shelter. Unfortunately, she also couldn’t add too many dogs to her furry family, and set about looking for families to take in the dogs.
Luckily, and in a short period of time, she found new forever homes for both Caleb and Bella. “Caleb is super happy in his new home with a friend of mine,” Blount said. “She has another Lab who he loves. Bella went to my boyfriend and let’s just say they are inseparable.”
In the days since the heartwarming rescue and adoptions, Blount has developed quite a bond with Charisma, and they are likely to stay together.
In any case, Charisma will definitely stay with Blount after seeing the results of her visit to the vet – sweet little Charisma was pregnant!
The shelter had not known about the pregnancy. So in addition to the three adult dogs, Blount had actually saved the lives of five to six of Charisma’s unborn puppies!
It’s no wonder that Charisma was filled with happiness upon their departure from the shelter. “My Charisma girl is very attached to me and we take lots of cat naps because she’s so sleepy,” Blount said.
The ever grateful Charisma is due to give birth soon, and her new family is happy to share this exciting time with her. But while they wait for the arrival of the new babies, she’s enjoying her time with her savior and new mom, eager to show her best friend how thankful she is for her new lease on life.