Someone commented on a picture of Mabel that her eyes were beautiful & indeed they are but in real life its heartbreaking to watch a foster arrive to your home who has already lived in foster care and see eyes that are fearful, avoid connection & are extremely intense with new sounds or upon human or canine approach. Many pups have come to stay as guests but Mabel is the first that I was so relieved she closed her eyes & fell asleep in the living room at 9pm finally after a very, very long day & then finally for bedtime to start a fresh new day. Mabel is a little over 8 months old and now weighs close to 40lbs. When Mabel & her 2yo mother were initially rescued, Mabel was only 6 months old and weighed 17lbs. It’s unclear how long they were on their own. Unfortunately, Mabel's mother passed away a few days after their rescue. And if that wasn't enough for a severely underweight 6 month old puppy to have to endure, the severity of Mabel's malnutrition required ongoing subcutaneous fluids, weeks of monitoring as well as a blood transfusion and she almost lost her life twice. Even when her story started to change once stabilized and she got to be taken home to be fostered by one of our best TMH Fosters in SC, Mabel still had weeks of meditations, supplements & special diet that no puppy would enjoy as well as meeting more "new to her so scary people", new smells, new dogs & cats, ect. to have to navigate all by herself. Sharing Mabel's story as a reminder that some of our rescued dogs may look strong and healthy in pictures but for some it took an entire village to get them here. It is so important to find the perfect family for her the first time & Mabel most likely will only have introductions at private meets not larger, sometimes loud & busy events. Mabel will need a person or people who will be patient, understanding & know that their initial investment will yield a remarkable, loving dog who is exceptionally intelligent, loyal & just brave. She just needs to know she is safe. Mabel is healthy now physically, has been moved around a bit but also she missed out on some teaching moments early on and will need some guidance along the way. So please consider this when thinking about her to for adoption. Lastly, adding this as its just quite remarkable! Mabel woke up this morning still nervous with fearful eyes & unsure of her new foster family but doing ok after a few hours of being exposed to her new routine. She was upstairs where she previously had to be carried down the stairs (which has not been uncommon for some of the foster dogs) & has had no issues going up stairs. Then she was heard her going downstairs, missed seeing her go down the first flight or stop at the landing or the second flight but she made it down and came right back up. So I stepped back and watched with her without her seeing, she got to the top & stood there looking down, her legs shaking a bit then went down and she literally practiced for 20 mins and then even went through the LR & kitchen to the stairs leading to the basement then circled all the way back upstairs to repeat. I have never had a rescue dog start training herself. Mabel is definitely a fighter & ready for her next chapter!