Oregon Shelter Rehabilitated a Mastiff for Adoption. They Say She Came Back to Them Skin and Bones.
All dogs deserve a house that they can call home. Lee Asher from The Asher House (@theasherhouse), an animal sanctuary, rescued a Neapolitan Mastiff, Velveteen, and rehabilitated her. After finding her a suitable home, she would later return to the sanctuary in worse condition.
Asher claimed that they rescued Velveteen from a high-kill shelter in California. She was on a euthanasia list, but was taken in by a woman named Hannah. Shortly after, Hannah gave Asher a call and told him about Velveteen. Hannah said that the dog was shut down and underweight, and she felt that a sanctuary setting would be the best place to rehabilitate Velveteen.
“She was literally petrified of everything, anything that moved. And she needed a facelift—she could barely see because all the skin was over her eyes.” Asher said that Velveteen needed love and patience because of the state she was in.
“We got her on a healthy diet, and she got so much love from me, Sara, and our entire team every single day. We absolutely adored her,” Asher said. The dog came to them in rough shape, but Asher said that Velveteen made a full recovery.
“She was healthy and thriving and started to trust other people,” Asher claimed. She also started getting along with other dogs and cats. Overall, Velveteen bounced back like a mangy dog from a shelter that received the right affection and care from her rescuers.
The Asher House put her up for adoption
“We felt that she would thrive in a very patient and loving, perfect home.” Asher and the team decided to finally put Velveteen up for adoption. They claimed that they got many applications for Velveteen, and one stood out in particular.
“We conducted our general screening process and did our due diligence,” Asher claimed. They checked the adopter’s home, and they passed.
“We crossed all of our boxes to make sure that Velveteen was getting the perfect home for her.” The adopter showed up with his daughter and took Velveteen home. Asher alleged that Velveteen left the sanctuary a happy and healthy dog. He also showed a photo of the adopters with Velveteen, which was supposedly taken on adoption day.
After the adoption, Asher said that they followed up with the adopters on a regular basis. He said that for the first two weeks, Asher said that the adopter sent photos of Velveteen looking healthy in the new home.
Then another two weeks went by, and Asher said that the adopter stopped following up. It wasn’t uncommon, but Asher had a feeling he couldn’t shake off.
“This time, something didn’t feel right.” The team kept reaching out to the adopter, but didn’t receive a response until later. In a twist, the adopter said that he was thinking about returning Velveteen to The Asher House.
“We were surprised but very happy to take her back.” Asher told the man that they were willing to take the dog back. But after that exchange, communication died down again. Asher thought that the man must have changed his mind.
They rescued her again
That was until two months later, when someone emailed a screenshot of a social media post. The adopter allegedly told his ex that The Asher House allowed Velveteen to be adopted in a frightened and malnourished state. They supposedly saw Velveteen unloaded by a worker from an “overcrowded van full of howling and scared dogs.” Attached to the post is a photo of a bony Velveteen lying down on a rug. The adopter allegedly stated that the photo was taken on the day they took Velveteen home from The Asher House.
Asher denied the claim and asserted that he has a photo of Velveteen looking healthy on adoption day. He also showed photos of the follow-up photos supposedly sent by the adopter in the first two weeks of adoption as additional proof.
Asher denied the claim and asserted that he has a photo of Velveteen looking healthy on adoption day. He also showed photos of the follow-up photos supposedly sent by the adopter in the first two weeks of adoption as additional proof.
But Asher was alarmed by the photo of Velveteen looking emaciated in the social media post. He called animal services, and they did a welfare check on the dog. The adopter told the officer that Velveteen was just sick, and the officer left. Unwilling to give up on the dog, Asher said they searched for Velveteen and found her and the adopter at an emergency vet. The adopter agreed to give Velveteen up to The Asher House.
She’s their dog now
“We were obviously devastated to see the condition Velveteen was in.” Based on the TikTok clip, the dog looked like skin and bones. She was already in poor condition when she first reached The Asher House, but after spending two months with the adopter, her ribs and spine were poking out.
“She was officially our dog now,” Asher said. He no longer has the intention to put Velveteen up for adoption. Nevertheless, he was appalled by the state the dog was in.
“What we saw was not the dog we recognized. Her soul was there, her eyes were there. Everything else was skin and bones.” As an animal rescuer, Asher said that Velveeteen’s state was “one of the worst cases” he had seen in his life. Given how malnourished the dog was, Asher stated that the road to recovery would be long and expensive.
In a follow-up video, Asher stated that Velveteen had to get three surgeries. In the first one, a piece of fabric was allegedly found by the vets in her intestines. At the moment, Asher’s focus is to help Velveteen survive the ordeal so that they can bring her home.
In the meantime, debate is raging over whether it’s really acceptable to call your dog your “fur baby”.
(featured images: The Asher House)
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