Tear-jerking footage shows an emaciated German Shepherd at an animal shelter melting into the arms of a dog expert when he utters two magic words: “Good girl.”
The heartwarming words, and the dog’s response, marked the beginning of her crucial recovery journey.
German Shepherd Macy was admitted to Animal Friends of the Valleys in Wildomar, California, on Dec. 4, 2023, after someone left her at the shelter’s night drop facility. She was dehydrated and severely emaciated, weighing only around 42 pounds, with her rib cage protruding through her thin skin and dull, lackluster fur.
Dog expert Rocky Kanaka, who has a YouTube channel dedicated to animal rescue and advocacy, met Macy on her first day at the shelter and immediately pledged to take her under his wing.
“There are many questions and theories as to Macy’s background prior to arriving at the shelter,” a representative from his team told The Epoch Times. “All we know for sure is that a good Samaritan placed her in the shelter’s night drop, an area where the public can safely leave stray animals in a temperature-controlled environment after hours for staff to retrieve with no other information provided.”
It’s suspected that she either lived her life mainly on the street or lived in a backyard where she was not cared for properly,” the representative said.
She was nicknamed Macy by Animal Friends’ onsite shelter groomer, Mel, and is estimated to be 5 to 6 years of age. She was marked as a stray since she had no microchip and was not sterilized. Her admission to the shelter began with finding her a quiet kennel in a secluded area, where Mr. Kanaka met and sat with her for the first time. He shared footage of their first interaction on YouTube.
“Macy reacted somewhat apprehensive at first approach … she was quite confused on where she was at,” the representative told The Epoch Times. “She was also extremely vocal, whining and moving back and forth from her bowls of water and food as if she didn’t know what to do with herself.
“When Rocky first called her a good girl, she whined, melted into Rocky’s hands, and it was clear to the team she hadn’t been called a good girl in a long time, if ever.”