AC Pup: Nathaniel just needed someone to believe in him

Miss Debi Kirkland, an animal rescuer, kept walking by his kennel at the county animal shelter. There was just something about him that tugged at her heart.

She was drawn to his gentle eyes and sweet spirit. But those eyes told a story of deep pain and repeated betrayal. The scars from numerous bite marks that covered his body screamed the theme of the painful story.

Even though she wanted to rescue him from the shelter, Miss Debi knew she'd have to keep walking past his kennel. There was no money in the rescue to pay for the medical care he would need. He had an infected eye, a seriously lacerated paw, and he was heartworm positive just to mention a few of his health problems. And that doesn't even begin to cover the emotional damage he suffered.

His name was Nathaniel. He was a beautiful brown and white boy that had endured great neglect and abuse. He was defeated, sad and depressed. He had no one to believe in him. He had given up.

The shelter set a euthanasia date for Nathaniel. It appeared there would be a sad ending to a sad life. That is, until Miss Cherie Bland shared the good news that donations had been made for Nathaniel's medical care.

Much to Miss Debi's delight, Nathaniel was pulled from the shelter for the Pixel rescue group and was immediately taken to the vet for care.

It seemed as if Nathaniel's luck had turned around. But it was short-lived.

Not long after he arrived at the vet's office, he climbed a six-foot fence and made a run for it. His emotional pain and trust issues were getting the best of him. He was afraid of everyone and didn't know who to trust. So he ran.

He ran for a week. There were plenty of sightings all around the busy streets of north Macon. Conventional humane traps were set, but no one could catch him. He'd spent most of his life in fear of being trapped, and he was too savvy to go into one no matter how appealing the bait.

He did develop a lucky pattern during his adventures of running away from rescuers, though. He would return each night to the neighborhood of Central Georgia CARES' own Miss Becky Angelo.

So Miss Becky, Cherie and Debi would lay in wait for him. Since Nathaniel refused to go into a trap, with the help of Mr. Jimmy Owens, they assembled a kennel in the neighborhood and devised a way to use it as a makeshift trap.

In very short order Nathaniel went into the kennel, and the door slammed shut. Finally he was safe. But the story didn't end there.

Miss Debi took him home with her, and lo and behold, he escaped again! This escape was just as dramatic as the first one. He chewed through a plastic crate and went through a glass panel to escape the doggie cottage he was in.

Amazingly, after a matter of hours of Miss Debi waiting for him to come back, he returned on his own. He actually put his head in the slip leash she held for him. And he's never tried to leave since.

The future is bright for Nathaniel. He has received the medical attention he needed, and he's receiving love therapy to overcome his emotional wounds. He's working hard to thrive and blossom, because Miss Debi believed in him and saw the beautiful potential he had. And that's all he needed.

After all, isn't having someone to believe in us what we all need? That's true, especially for homeless pets that have no one to love them. Their dream is to find someone to believe in them. Thank goodness it happened for Nathaniel.

Send questions to acpup247@yahoo.com. Visit www.acpup.com or like his Facebook page.

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 10:57 AM with the headline "AC Pup: Nathaniel just needed someone to believe in him ."