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Maribel, a rescued Pitbull finds her forever home after waiting for more than a year
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Maribel is a happy girl. Photo by Virginia Kelly.
Sometimes destiny happens when one least expects it. And so the story began for Diane Stone and her beloved Pitbull Maribel.
Stone and Maribel, who make a solid team today, met only a couple of months ago at the East Bay SPCA, where until that fateful day, Maribel had lived in a kennel for 14 months, more than a quarter of her young life at 4 years of age.
“I had no intention to adopt a dog when I went in that day. I just wanted to see this Yellow Lab,” explains Stone, a retired high school teacher. A few days earlier, Stone had received a newsletter from the East Bay SPCA and on it was a photo of a Yellow Labrador Retriever-type dog. Wanting to meet this dog, Stone decided to pay a visit to the shelter; however, the dog wasn’t available on the day Stone showed up at the facility.
In came Maribel.
Trying hard to find homes for all the shelter dogs, one persistent and very helpful staff member recommended the delightful female Pitbull.
“She told me ‘you have to meet Maribel. She’s very sweet, and you’ll love her,’” Stone remembers. “I was not very impressed but agreed to meet her.”
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Maribel with her new family. Photo by Diane Stone.
Maribel closed the deal in no time.
“She’s very sweet, very sensitive, and always wants to please me. I just fell in love with her,” Stone says.
Today Maribel lives happily in her new home in Oakland with Stone and her three other rescue dogs, Gypsy, Treigh and Bomba.
Maribel’s adoption serves as a sign of hope for East Bay SPCA staff members and volunteers.
“Maribel’s adoption is enormously gratifying for our staff members,” says Sarah Wharton, canine manager of the nonprofit organization. “It can be demoralizing when a dog has been in a shelter for a year without being adopted. It confirms that we really are in the right line of work, that we’re doing well. It also confirms our faith in people in general.”
Maribel was a member of Club Second Chance, a program of the East Bay SPCA that aims to rehabilitate and promote the adoptions of animals with special needs, physical or otherwise.
Maribel’s past remains a mystery.
“We don’t know what happened to her,” says Wharton, referring to some permanent scars on Maribel’s legs and back. “We thought they were bite marks and that she was attacked by another dog at one time, but we don’t know for sure.”
Nevertheless, what is known on record shows an obstacle-filled journey.
After being picked up as an injured stray by Oakland Animal Services, Maribel was transferred over to the East Bay SPCA on June 18, 2008. She was suffering from a leg injury that required immediate medical attention.
It took months for the shelter’s veterinary staff to diagnose and treat the injury, which was later discovered to be caused by a piece of foxtail that was embedded in Maribel’s rear right leg muscle, preventing the wound to heal for months.
The long and painful ordeal did not faze Maribel, whose enthusiasm and affection made her one of the favorite dogs among many staff members and volunteers.
“She’s always happy. She really liked people early on and bonded quickly with staff members who spent time with her. In the beginning we thought she may be aggressive towards other dogs because of the scars on her body, but she never showed any aggression. Over time she got to be friends with many other shelter dogs,” Wharton says.
Looking back, the obstacles only made Maribel’s adoption more worthwhile for everyone involved.
“We’re doing this because we love it and we want to help animals. Maribel’s adoption is significantly rewarding for us,” Wharton exclaims.
One amazing dog, one loving woman, and countless dedicated people- this is no small feat.
For more information on Club Second Chance or the East Bay SPCA: visit their official website.
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