Dr. Andy Mathis’s passion for helping animals extends way beyond his clinic. The dedicated veterinarian goes above and beyond to get homeless dogs out of the streets and into loving homes. When he is not at work, he often visits shelters and figures out what he could do to help. He also conducts projects which raise awareness of the plights of rescue animals.
When Macon Animal Control conducted a Pardon Week, an event where shelter animals could be adopted without fees so that they could get forever homes, Dr. Mathis made sure to keep a close eye on the developments. A few days after the event started, it seemed to him that there would be some dogs who would be left behind. This was bad news as this might mean that those who would be left behind could be put to sleep.
One of them is a feral dog named Jimmy
Trapped
Unlike the other rescue dogs in the shelter, Jimmy was caught in the woods using a trap. It seemed that he never had any human contact and was deathly afraid of the people around him. He would growl and bark whenever someone gets too close. When the frightened pooch is alone, he would sit by the corner of his kennel, refusing to move and turn around.
Dr. Mathis quickly deduced that this was the reason he didn’t get chosen. Because of his temperament, he is a good candidate for euthanasia. The kind vet had to do something.
Patient man
Dr. Mathis adopted four dogs in total, including Jimmy. But he couldn’t take the feral dog home right away. He had to gain his trust first.
For several weeks, the vet kept going back to the shelter. He would patiently sit next to Jimmy, offering food and assuring words.
Progress was slow but the good doctor didn’t care. He had to take him out of the shelter before they decide to put him down.
Eventually, Jimmy allowed Dr. Mathis to touch him and everything changed by that point. The dog got over his fears and transformed into a sweet and affectionate pooch. He was released from the pound and joined Dr. Mathis and his other dogs in his home.
Source: Dr. Andy Mathis via Youtube
