Imagine a polar bear, but three times smaller with floppy ears and actually it’s a dog. That is a Great Pyrenees. They are great big fluffy white dogs. While they may look a little intimidating, they are truly gentle giants.

Paulie, my neighbor’s adopted Great Pyrenees mix, is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. This breed is in fact known for its zen, calmness, and patience. Males end up weighing in at over 100 pounds. Their weight would make being a guardian of livestock, its original purpose, a lot easier. These are beasts of dogs with waterproof coats to protect against harsh snow conditions.

However, while this breed is intended to be massive, Paulie was not when adopted by Tracy Trejo. She adopted Paulie to save him from his torturous and abusive past.

“They found Paulie tied to a fence with a chain. He had tried to chew out of the chain and broke a lot of his teeth. He was severely underweight,” Trejo said.

These conditions are so insanely inhumane that I could hardly believe someone could do such a thing, yet someone did. He was simply a young innocent pup who was very lucky there was someone so kind to save and nourish him back to health.

He was adopted from Anderson Animal Shelter, which is a no-kill shelter, but one that euthanizes “unadoptable” dogs. Trejo ensured that Paulie, a shy dog with a rough past, would never be euthanized. 

There are so many dogs that are mistreated and scarred for the rest of their lives. These are the dogs that end up on the “unadoptable” list. Another one of Trejo’s dogs, Sammy, was believed to be rescued from a puppy mill. Trejo adopted her after she was found in the South Side of Chicago with rocks being thrown at her. 

Sammy is the oldest of Trejo’s bunch; Paulie is a few years younger. She has also saved two more dogs from their pasts, providing them with new lives and a loving home. Tracy has not only cared for four dogs, but she has raised two boys on her own. She is an inspiration and everyone can learn from her altruistic ways.

Revitalizing Paulie to the playful and loving pup he is now took a lot of time, love, and care. Thankfully, the Trejo household provided the right kind of environment and nurturing that he, and all of her other pups, needed. 

His breed, the Great Pyrenees, makes for an excellent pet. They fall at number nine on the American Kennel Club’s list of biggest dogs, but that should be no hindrance to why these gentle giants are refused homes.

There are so many dogs in shelters, not only young puppies that are bound to be adopted, but older dogs whose chances of adoption dwindle every day. 

If more people took after Trejo by adopting dogs three and up from shelters, instead of adopting from breeders or new litters, there would be so many dogs saved from euthanization and provided with a second chance.