Elliot Sherin is a hero for this little puppy. Her efforts to save him from the hard conditions is admirable.
Sherin is a 17-year-old. She was on her vacation in Jamaica with her family last December.
She and her dad had planned to go horseback riding, but when they arrived the place she realized a pack of dogs in very poor condition. When the pack approached them with the hope of food, Sherin saw this little puppy behind. He was shy. He was a maximum 3 months old dog, so thin that as if he was a skeleton. His front legs were turned inward.
She named him Kingston.
“The rest of the dogs walked right up to us looking for food,” Sherin told. “But he was very scared. He wouldn’t let us get near him. All I could think of was, ‘How am I going to get him out of here?’”
She left some food and did a bit of research. She found Animal House Jamaica and contacted them to learn if they can help this puppy.
“At that point, I was completely set on rescuing this dog and bringing him home with me,” Sherin said. “I couldn’t stop looking at the picture I had taken of him. I could tell he was such a sweet little dog, just very scared. Meanwhile, my family was saying, ‘Yeah right, that’s impossible.’”
The foundation agreed to help if she could catch him and bring him to the shelter. They also agreed on sending him to Seattle, Washington if she finds enough money to cover care and flight expenses.
Sherin’s parents also allowed this procedure but she needed to find the money. With an online fundraiser, she invited her friends and family to support Kingston’s journey to a healthy life.
She also had to convince the employees to help her catch Kingston. However, she had only a few days in Jamaica.
They weren’t too keen on helping me at first,” Sherin said. “They saw him as just another puppy dumped on the streets. I had gone home by then, but I kept bothering them for three weeks straight.”
With her determination, the employees agreed to help her. They caught Kingston and bring him to the shelter.
“He was really malnourished, covered in cuts and scrapes and had heartworms,” Sherin said. “He was with the rescue until February just getting healthy enough to fly.”
Luckily, she also managed to collect over $900, enough to cover the expenses. The leftover money was donated to the rescue group.
In mid-February, Kingston was well enough to take his flight to home, a new home. Sherin was anxious about the adaptation process but Kingston was okay with the conditions.
“We got to the airport where he was waiting with all the other pets who had flown in,” Sherin said. “They lifted up the garage door and I saw him sitting in his crate … and I just cried. He was here after everybody laughed at me for being a kid and trying to set all of this up on my own. He was home and he was so beautiful. After about 10 minutes of exploring he came back and sat down right in my lap,” Sherin said. “You could tell he was so starved for attention. He just wanted someone to love and bond with.”
The family also love him too. “They adore him,” Sherin said. “My dad and he take naps on the couch, my mom tucks him into bed with his little blanket every night.”
He also visited a new vet. His health condition was checked. His legs were turned inward because he didn’t have enough nutrition when he was born. Because of calcium deficiency, his legs distorted. The vet said that with good care, his legs might heal on their own. His health will be closely controlled by his new family and vet.
“The rescue told us that Kingston had probably been dumped out there like a puppy,” Sherin said. “So he has been struggling and starving out there his whole life.”. Kingston also has a brother, a 6-year-old Lab named Bentley. He is very happy. He regularly goes to a dog park, rests in his bed and eats when he is hungry.
“Getting him here is what I’m most proud of in my entire life,” Sherin said. “Before Kingston, I had never visited a country where feral dogs are so abundant. I had never seen a dog so malnourished that he could barely stand. He opened my eyes to so many things. I’m grateful. And he is too.”
