Earlier this month, Sloane Quealy, cofounder of Zion’s Mission Animal Rescue, received an urgent message: 40 dogs—mostly Belgian Malinois and German shepherd mixes—had been rescued from a cramped Queens, New York, apartment.
The dogs had lived in neglect, with no room to move and no exposure to the outside world.
Animal Care Centers (ACC) of NYC were desperate to find placements. Quealy’s rescue stepped up and agreed to take in 10 of the dogs.
When Quealy arrived at the shelter to pick up one of them—a 2-year-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix named Sammie—she was shaken by what she saw.
“They opened the door to his kennel, and my heart just broke,” Quealy recalled. “He looked so defeated. He was trembling and hadn’t moved at all.”
Too terrified to walk, 75-pound Sammie had to be carefully transported using a blanket to support his back legs, while staff helped lift his front end.
They placed him on a cart—too small for his body—and wheeled him to Quealy’s car. He didn’t resist. He didn’t move. He simply lay there, shut down.
Getting Sammie into the car took three people. But inside, a small glimmer of hope appeared: one of the puppies from the same rescue was riding up front in a carrier. Sammie lifted his head and listened.
“He perked up a little when he heard the puppy,” Quealy said.
At the vet, however, Sammie reverted to fear, trembling in a corner.
That changed when he was brought to Dawg House, a Connecticut-based daycare and training facility, where the puppies had already been settling in.
Quealy wondered if Sammie’s legs had atrophied from lack of movement. But something incredible happened next.
“As soon as the puppies saw him, they ran over,” Quealy said. “One puppy stayed by his side, and Sammie wagged his tail. Then he stood up and started hobbling around with them. They all drank water together. And then he laid down and let out the biggest sigh. I almost cried—he knew he was safe.”
Within hours, Sammie began exploring. He wandered toward the door, sniffed the air, and eventually stepped into the yard. The next morning, he was already going to the bathroom outside and playfully following the puppies.
“His whole demeanor changed,” Quealy said. “He’s got confidence now. I swear he’s smiling. His eyes have light again. He’s not broken—just bruised.”
Sammie and the other dogs will stay at Dawg House for at least a month to recover and learn new skills with trainer Jess Roscetti. And the progress is already remarkable.
“Sammie is coming out of his shell,” Roscetti said. “He nudges the back of my knee with his nose, asking for pets. It’s gentle, but full of trust.”
Each day, the dogs are introduced to new experiences—grass, traffic sounds, friendly strangers—and they’re thriving.
Zion’s Mission is now accepting adoption applications. Ideal adopters will have experience with shepherds, Malinois, or similar breeds, as well as a fenced yard and another social dog in the home. Applicants must live in the New York City tri-state area.
To support Sammie and the other rescues, you can contribute to Zion’s Mission’s wishlist or donate directly.
