Every dog has its own story to tell. Whether it was born to a pure bred family on a sprawling suburban farm or walked the busy city streets as a stray, each dog comes to know a specific journey in a specific way.

Each year, six to eight million dogs enter the shelter system, with around four million of them never getting the opportunity to leave. We wanted to follow the journey of several shelter dogs to see exactly how the process works and shed some light on how the various shelter and rescue systems work.

Not every dog gets a home, but it is our goal to at least give them a story.

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Meet Destiny and Monty...

Destiny first came the Burbank Animal Shelter in Burbank, Calif. as a stray on February 8, 2011. The six-year-old female Pit Bull Terrier mix was extremely malnourished upon her arrival and was quite shy around men. She has since become more comfortable in her surroundings, even enjoying a game of fetch everyday. She would be the perfect companion for an active person who loves to exercise.

Destiny has also become somewhat of a star, appearing on local LA news station, KTLA, Thursday morning’s Adopt-a-Pet Show. She has also appeared at the Burbank Shelter’s adoption event, Happy Tails Hike. With all this recent publicity, we are hoping Destiny finds a future forever home!

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Monty has not traveled the easiest road in life. He was found by a rescue group in the desert with several gunshot wounds in his legs, and was brought to the Animal Surgical & Emergency Center (ASEC). The vets at ASEC found a series of unattended issues plaguing Monty, including an infected fracture/wound on the left tibia, a destroyed/infected Achilles tendon on his right back leg, and pellets lodged within his abdomen.

Unfortunately, after seven months of bandaging and surgery on the left hind leg, it was finally amputated. And the vets at ASEC were able to create a prosthetic Achilles tendon to replace the destroyed one. But even with all of the physical setbacks, Monty is still a happy and playful guy, with a lot of love to share. He is now recovered and ready for adoption!

Stay tuned to our running “Journey of a Shelter Dog” series to learn more about Destiny and Monty and several other shelter dogs! And Check out Journey of a Shelter Dog Part 1 and Journey of a Shelter Dog Part 2