Update: Angel has RESCUE!! She is safe. Thank you to everyone who shared her plight on social media!

She lies in her kennel shaking. She has lost her home and her owner, and now she’s confused and heartbroken. She doesn’t know why she’s in a kennel, alone and unloved.

This traumatized and depressed dog who was with her deceased owner for over five days is waiting for help in a Tampa shelter. Angel was found in the blood-filled home with her deceased owner. There is no relative to take her, so she is at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center.

When she arrived at the shelter on November 11, she was thrashing and rolling at the end of the catch pole. She bit her lip and was bleeding. She was considered highly aggressive at that moment. After that time, Angel was not responsive when people entered her cage. She did become upset when they tried to take her out of the cage.

Now Angel just lies in the corner. She doesn’t look at people, she just trembles and looks at the wall. She is so scared that she defecates when they try to move her. To say this dog is not doing well in the shelter environment is a gross understatement. She needs to be out of the shelter and in a foster home where she can recover from the trauma of the past month.

Watch her heartbreaking video. It shows Angel trembling in a corner of her cage. She is obviously traumatized and terrified.

A comment on Facebook indicated that the shelter is working to help Angel.

“I just left the pet center now after visiting with her. Due to depression they have her in a restricted area where those not employees need authorization to see her. They did allow me to go back to visit but not in the cage yet. The employee was in the cage but stayed a foot or so back and reached out for her. No aggression at all that I can see. Just scared from the trauma and being brought from that situation she was in. She just stares at you. They said they are working with her and the nice girl I was with does really care and try to get her use to people again by reading and playing music.”

What this type of situation drives home is the fact that every pet owner should have a plan for what happens to their animals if they are ever incapacitated or die. Especially for those who don’t have relatives willing to step in, a plan including friends or a local rescue group is a must. The optimal plan includes money set aside for routine care and emergency care for the animals. In many states, a trust can be set up to provide for the animals’ care. Angel’s owner did not provide for her, so now she is suffering.

There is more information on Angel’s Facebook thread. She is ID#A1682536, and she is located at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center, 440 N. Falkenburg Road, Tampa, FL 33619. The phone number is 813-744-5660. The shelter is open daily from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.

If someone is interested in Angel, they must email rescuepets@hillsboroughcounty.org and rescuemetampa@yahoo.com as soon as possible. In the subject line of the email, write: Do Not Euth Angel,  ID# (insert ID#A1682536). In the body of the email, include your contact information. You must be willing to pick up the dog tomorrow by 3:00 pm.

Please note: Only comments that are respectful and profanity-free will be published.