Meet Smile-Maker, Laila

Dr. Jessica Stilley and her husband Michael, got a new reason to smile in February. That’s when they met Harriet, the dog they adopted and re-named Laila. Once terrified of crossing a threshold, she now sits on the couch with the family to watch TV and sleeps in the master bedroom. Her future could have been very different, however. This is her story.
Laila first caught the eye of Dr. Stilley in a Facebook post in January 20017. She was one of the group of dogs The Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) rescued from South Korea. The video and original article will still touch your heart. Dr. Stilley adds, “It still makes me tear up actually. We saw this dog, and we knew we had to be the ones to adopt her.”
She was on a meat farm destined to be slaughtered before the Humane Society stepped in. Her living conditions were terrible. She spent most of her life in an outdoor crate, jammed in with other dogs. The dogs were packed in so tightly that they would sleep standing up, leaning on each other because there was no room to lay down. The abuse these animals endured is too awful to describe.

Dr. Stilley and her husband immediately made arrangements to meet Laila at the Humane Society to see if she would even take to them. It took another another visit with their Doberman, Lennox to see if she would fit into the family. Although she had been around other dogs she was very scared and untrusting of humans.

“We finally got to bring her home February 21, 2017. She had to be spayed and have all her shots brought up to date before the Humane Society would release her to us. The first few months were hard on her. She had never been for a walk, was not used to a leash, and had never been given a dog treat. She had to learn to be a dog with a family. My husband has a video he posted of her figuring out how to play with a dog ball. Now she sits on the couch with us to watch TV and sleeps in our bed with us. Noises still bother her but she is getting better everyday. She loves Lennox and has been super good with our 4 month old son, Trent.”
The Humane Society International works daily to try to end the Korean dog farming industry. Its not just those dogs that need good homes though. Humane Society Tampa Bay has rescued dogs, cats, and other animals from all over the world and they constantly have good pets up for adoption at their local facilities.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay organization is almost 100 years old and they are currently in the process of trying to raise money to build a new building. Both, the local and international website have opportunities to donate your time, talents, and treasures to the cause. Just sharing this post or promoting pet adoption on your social media can do a great deal. Remember, Facebook is what eventually led to Laila’s new family life.
Laila is doing so well today. Dr. Stilley and Michael are so happy to be sharing their lives with her and their family. All smiles, for our smile-maker, and we hope Laila’s story brings you a smile too.

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