She arrived at Canil de Portimão with her sister, Zera, carrying trauma that doesn't show up in a photo…. She'd never been walked. Never spent time outside a kennel. She trusted almost no one. She was deteriorating fast in the canil, without any hope of rehabilitation in that environment. We don’t know her past, only that she was dumped here without any hope. But we didn’t give up on her.

Volunteer foster carer Beth took Sadie in, hoping that time in a real home might help her come out of her shell. And it did. In foster care, Sadie began to shine. She's playful with other dogs and picks up confidence from them by watching them explore, walk on a lead, and simply exist without fear, which seems to teach her that she can too.

She loves running alongside her foster friend Roxy, though she doesn't need huge amounts of exercise to be happy. A short walk and a lazy day chilling in the garden suits her just as well. She's a big fan of water too, and will happily paddle in any puddle she finds, or dunk her paws straight in her water bowl for fun.

She's quiet, calm, non-destructive, and hardly ever barks. She loves her food and will trot back to you again and again on walks if there are treats involved. She can live happily with cats in the home too.

What Sadie isn't is a cuddly dog, and she may never be. Her trauma runs so deep, and we don’t know what happened to her, but we can’t give up on her. Affection on human terms, like being picked up, held, fussed over, isn't something she's ready for. What she needs instead is patience. Someone who understands that love doesn't always look like a cuddle on the sofa, and who can find their reward in the small steps of a dog learning that the world isn't something to be afraid of.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Canil de Portimão;

Beth has given Sadie everything she can, but with limited space and other dogs in her care, she can't keep her. That's where you might come in…?

Sadie is the first in a short series of dogs we'll be introducing over the coming weeks. Dogs who don't fit the easy mould of "adopt me, I'm perfect," but who deserve just as much of a chance. Right now we have four dogs like Sadie at the Canil, and finding the right homes for them is one of the biggest challenges we face. We simply don't have the resources to give them the one-on-one time and specialist understanding they need long-term.

Could you be the special person Sadie needs? Get in touch with Holly van Deursen on WhatsApp: +351 923 525 129

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