My dedication to stray animals (and animals in general) goes as far back as I can remember.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, I would always show up at home with a stray cat or dog, and my parents would let me care for it. I believe this shaped my view of the world and taught me how to be an empathetic person. Now, many years later, I am fulfilling my dreams of helping animals find loving homes working for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
But there are some animals whose spirit lingers.
They are eternally optimistic, unabashedly loving, and of course, endlessly loyal. Their innate need to be companions makes them resilient, bouncing back from even the most traumatic experiences when given a little love. Despite adversity, our animals demonstrate the meaning of living in the moment and enjoying life to the fullest.
Patty Cake is one of those animals.
Patty Cake’s previous owners had all the right intentions and wanted to take care of her, but due to some unfortunate circumstances, she ended up in a few homes with different owners. Eventually, a friend of the family brought Patty Cake to AWLA after hearing she had been abandoned. Despite being extremely overweight, Patty Cake does not let anything slow her down. As soon as she came to the shelter, all she wanted was to lay her head on your lap, get pets, and wag her tail. She has quickly become a staff favorite–we just love squishing her sweet face!
The resilience of pets is always a humbling experience. And watching Patty Cake be such an optimistic and faithful companion despite everything she has gone through is no exception.
Thank you for loving animals like Patty Cake as much as we do at AWLA.
Sincerely,
Jose Serrano, Manager of Animal Care
