Rusty’s Story: A Second Chance at Life

Before founding Poshiva, our founder already had two beloved dogs, but she couldn’t shake the thought of a third—Rusty. She first saw his picture on Facebook and couldn’t get him out of her mind. Rusty had been brought to a shelter, and within just a day, he was scheduled for euthanasia due to being labeled as “dog aggressive.” Determined not to let him meet such a fate, she reached out to over 50 shelters and rescues for help, but everyone told her to forget about him.

Not ready to give up, she called the shelter first thing on Monday morning. To her surprise, the shelter staff was kind and allowed her to adopt Rusty despite his issues—and, ironically, the shelter lady’s name was Miracle. Just two days later, our founder drove 7 hours to pick up Rusty and bring him home.

Rusty arrived with a lot to learn. He didn’t know how to take a treat, sit, paw, or walk on a leash. But what he lacked in experience, he made up for with an endless supply of sweetness, happiness and willingness to learn. While he got along with one of the founder’s dogs, he didn’t quite mesh with the other. Instead of giving up, our founder devoted hours to training him, knowing that if he couldn’t live with her, he would not survive.

Months of crate training, daily walks, and command lessons followed, and Rusty proved to be a quick learner. His progress was miraculous.

In just a few short months, Rusty made an incredible turnaround. Though the work is constant and challenging, the rewards are more than worth it. For the founder, rescuing Rusty brought a whole new meaning to the term “rescue.” Every day, she looks at Rusty and feels immense gratitude for the life they’ve built together. She says "He is the biggest cuddler, a fierce protector, and an incredibly loyal friend".

Rusty’s journey inspired our founder to pour her heart and soul into rescuing more dogs like him. His story fueled her passion, and her entire life changed for the better because of the sweet boy who deserved a second chance!