Jason and Michelle Ellisor at home with Maya, center, formerly known in Blythewood as Mommy. At left is Bud, the family’s more recently adopted Husky-German Shepherd mix.
Former Blythewood Stray Enjoying Comforts of New Home
Last February, a forlorn, mixed-breed stray dog was rescued from a vacant lot in the University Village shopping area off Blythewood Road. It was such an elaborate dog-rescue that the story ended up in The Independent Voice (“It took a village to rescue this dog,” March 15, 2013.) Since then, the newspaper has received occasional inquiries as to what became of the dog who for years hung out in the vicinity of the vacant lot, subsisting on handouts from concerned strangers. So, here’s an update.
Many caring people in the community, including employees of the dentist office next to the lot, had tried to rescue the dog they dubbed ‘Mommy.’ Fearful, she always eluded them. One of those would-be rescuers was Jason Ellisor, a UPS driver from Lexington, who always left food for Mommy when his delivery route took him to Blythewood. After the near-miraculous rescue of the elusive canine, it was Jason and his wife Michelle who took her in, changed her name to Maya and gave her a new life.
This weekend, on the anniversary of her adoption, the Ellisors will celebrate Maya’s first year as a member of their household. It was a year of adjustment for Maya; a year that, despite jubilation over her rescue, clearly began on a low note.
An initial veterinary examination revealed that Maya was about 10 years old, had heartworms and a painful limp caused by a previously shattered pelvis that had healed badly. Because of her poor health and age, she was not a candidate for traditional heartworm treatment. She would need an alternative treatment that might not prove successful. Pain medication was prescribed for her limp. In addition, Michelle recalls that Maya was terrified when they brought her home.
“Being captured was probably Maya’s worst nightmare,” Michelle told The Voice in a recent interview, “so we tried to make her comfortable in her new surroundings. We put a big dog bed in a corner of the kitchen. She liked it there because it was out of the way, but she could still see everything. I spent lots of time sitting next to her, reading a book or playing on my phone, to get her accustomed to being around me.”
The Ellisors devoted themselves to Maya’s rehabilitation and acclimation and gradually Maya responded to her new life of love, care and comfort. She eventually commandeered her own wing of the Ellisors’ L-shaped sofa and, today, Maya has a new spring in her step. She’s heartworm-free, no longer limps and is pain free with the help of medication. She has a big backyard, doting family, healthy diet and a newly adopted brother – a 7-year-old husky/shepherd mix named Bud.
“Maya is mind-blowingly smart,” Michelle said, ticking off the dog’s attributes without being asked. “She comes when called, has never had an accident in the house, minds perfectly and doesn’t tear things up. And she’s absolutely spoiled rotten,” Michelle added, ruffling the dogs ears, “which I love! When she’s called in from the backyard, she just prances right up to the door, tail wagging and ears up! She’s very quiet, but very people friendly and social now.”
Because of Maya’s special, time-consuming needs early on, the Ellisors had not anticipated getting a second dog. But, like many 10-year-olds, when Maya visited a Homeward Bound pet adoption event at Pet Smart with the Ellisors, she saw a dog she just had to have. His name was Bud, a handsome Husky-German Shepherd mix. The Ellisors adopted him.
“They’re great pals,” Michelle said of the two dogs.
The Ellisors were warned that because of her many years on the lam, Maya might stray again given the chance. But her only AWOL adventure occurred about five months after her rescue.
“She’d been in the backyard for just a few minutes by herself, when something in the woods caught her attention,” Michelle recalled. “She leapt over the fence and was gone. We looked for her all through the woods, calling her for hours and even brought Bud along to help. We thought she was gone. Then, suddenly, Maya came trotting up, muddy and happy. She had obviously been playing in the creek, but she was happy to come home at dinner time!”
As the Ellisors plan for Maya’s first year celebration – which includes a big yogurt-frosted dog cookie – they have a message for the people in Blythewood who helped Mommy/Maya survive all those years alone and eventually made possible her rescue.
“We want to thank them for all they did for Maya and let them know that she is well and happy,” Michelle told The Voice as Maya hopped up on her end of the couch and stretched out. “We just love her to pieces.”
Homeward Bound Pet Rescue provided all the funds for Maya’s hospitalization and vet care as well as a crate and other costs associated with her adoption. For information about how to support Homeward Bound’s Blythewood operation, call 803-454-9094 or go to http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/SC340.html.
