Alone, terrified and covered in toxic green paint, a small pit bull named Clover waited in a desert town outside Los Angeles, hoping someone would notice her.
When a concerned passerby saw Clover’s trembling olive frame, they knew they had to help. Soon, Clover was safe at North Valley Veterinary Center.
Experts got to work healing Clover’s skin, which was severely burned from the dangerous paint.
“[Vets] gave her two medicated baths and were able to remove most of the paint,” Love Leo Rescue wrote at the time in a Facebook post about the pup. “[S]he’s getting lots of love being spoiled and pampered.”
Soon, Clover’s greenish tint washed away to reveal her beautiful gray fur and sweet face.
After two weeks in the hospital, Clover’s skin looked so much better. However, Clover still needed time to decompress. The anxious pup moved in with Love Leo Rescue director Sasha Abelson, a dog lover determined to help Clover however she could.
“When she finally arrived at my house to be my new foster dog, she was sweet but shut-down and [shy],” Abelson told The Dodo. “I knew it was gonna take her a long time to learn to trust again.”
Abelson knew Clover’s future family needed to be empathetic to the nervous dog’s sensibilities. Eventually, Abelson reconnected with a patient couple who were so excited to meet Clover.
The couple happily participated in training sessions with Clover, helping her relearn to trust. In time, everyone could tell that the three of them were meant to be.
“Days turned into weeks and then weeks turned into months,” Abelson said. “It was clear that these two good humans were the perfect match for the special dog. They gave her the time [and] the space she needed to learn to trust and to heal from her past trauma. To see her so loved and enjoying life truly warms my heart.”
Now, Clover and her family have been enjoying the world together — free of fear and pain.