Ginger
No Place Like Home
It’s not always easy to find your place in the world; some of us have to travel great distances just to find a place we can call home. That was the case for Ginger, a yellow Lab mix with distinctive black freckles. Though she found her perfect home in Brooklyn, she was born nearly 700 miles away.
Ginger spent her first few weeks of life in a part of Tennessee with more dogs than adopters. But when she was still a young puppy, she and her siblings caught a break—they were transported to the ASPCA’s Adoption Center in New York City and quickly found homes.
Still, that wasn’t Ginger’s last stop. She came back to us in late 2011 after her adopter could no longer keep her. In her first home, Ginger developed severe anxiety. And though ASPCA behavior counselors helped her come out of her shell, she remained a fearful dog and would need an especially patient adopter to help her transition to a new home.
That’s when she caught another lucky break: In early January 2012, Kareem Rabie came to our Adoption Center, and something clicked when he saw Ginger. “I could see she was a great dog,” he says.
Rabie knew about Ginger’s anxiety, but he wasn’t fazed. Ginger was terrified her first few weeks with Rabie, and it seemed like she might never relax. But Rabie stuck it out and tried his best to make Ginger feel at home, calling the ASPCA for advice and even working with one of our behavior counselors at his home.
The work he’s done with Ginger was well worth it, says Rabie, who over the past few months has seen his dog come into her own. “It’s just an absolute joy to see her progress, and to watch her now.”
“It hasn't been all smooth sailing,” Rabie told us, “but she has really come around a lot. She seems very happy, is mostly enjoying meeting new people and dogs. I am just full of joy every time I see her.”