The signs of a stray dog were clear: trash cans were often overturned in the Upper Page Mill neighborhood in Los Altos and dirty paw prints stamped the streets.
Dr. Pam Carlton turned to Nextdoor to find out if any of her neighbors had seen the dog. In a post that soon spanned over 300 comments, neighbors chimed in: they’d seen the beautiful German Shepherd mix, who was malnourished and afraid of humans, but always seemed to have a “smile” on his face as he ran through their neighborhood, panting.
The local animal services department set up a trap and captured the dog, but he bit an officer during the trapping and behavior test out of fear. He was quarantined, and if no animal rescue claimed him after the quarantine, he would be euthanized.
Word spread again on Nextdoor, as dozens of neighbors followed the dog’s progression through quarantine and tried to help place him with a rescue. He garnered the name Cody, though no one knows who actually named him.
Finally, a neighbor was able to reach the director of a local organization, Rotts of Friends, which had two open spots a month for “lost cause” dogs, putting them through doggie boot camp to rehabilitate them and prepare them for adoption. While Rotts of Friends was at capacity, they promised to accept Cody if neighbors could raise enough money to compensate them for his training, board, and meals.
That wasn’t a problem. Thanks to caring neighbors and their organizing efforts on Nextdoor, Cody was moved to his new home the day he was originally scheduled to be euthanized.
“It’s such a wonderful story on so many levels,” said Kathy Jacobsen, the neighbor who originally set up the fundraising page for Cody. “At times when people are often at opposition with each other, this is a situation where everyone came together.”
Cody is still at Rotts of Friends, working on his training. To support the organization and Cody’s continued training, visit: http://rottsoffriends.com/, and read more details about this story here.
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Thanks to the Nextdoor blog for this guest post.
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