Life on Maui is difficult for an orphan pet. A combination of high cost of living and scarcity of pet friendly rental homes make it difficult for residents to introduce new furry family members into their lives. The result? Horrifically overcrowded shelters and dozens of animals at risk of euthanasia.
And that was before the 2023 Hawaiian Wildfires.
(Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP)
When the Maui fires tragically killed over 100 people and destroyed over 2,000 acres of land; hundreds of displaced pets were funneled into the island’s already overcrowded animal shelters. Before local shelter groups had to make very difficult and very permanent decisions, they tried one last gambit to save the lives of their current charges – they reached out to shelters on the mainland.
Helen Woodward Animal Center was one of the shelters who answered the call for aid. Over the following weeks the Center received over two dozen orphan pets from Maui’s overburdened shelters. One of those orphan pets was Gracie.
“Gracie came to us as an upbeat, silly girl who just put a smile on your face,” Senior Animal Care Supervisor Jenny Bueche said.
Her short and stubby tail wagged with vigorously anytime staff or volunteers would take her out on walks. In the field she showed a passion for fetch and tug-o-war, playing nicely with her fellow Center tenants. Whenever she would win these games (and she almost always won), she flopped into the grass and rolled onto her back, awaiting her well-deserved belly scratches.
Despite this goofy, playful personality, Gracie spent months watching puppies find their storybook endings while she remained in her kennel.
“She had really bad separation anxiety,” Bueche said. “She loves being around people and gets attached really quickly. Not everyone is ready to handle the challenges those issues bring.”
Gracie spent the entirety of fall at Helen Woodward Animal Center. Anytime families expressed interest in her, they were either dissuaded by her separation anxiety or thwarted by external circumstances, like lack of landlord approval or incompatibility with their current pets. As the air grew colder, so did the hopes of this sweet girl finding her forever family anytime soon.
But then, in the middle of December, one week before Christmas, a family from Poway came to the Center. They met Gracie and fell in love with her sweet personality. They loved her goofiness excitement when she greeted them. The family knew it was a fit immediately and decided to take her home.
After a long and difficult first chapter of her life, Gracie – who was renamed Maui in honor of her homeland – found her happily ever after. She’s gotten used to her new home in the foothills of San Diego’s North County. She’s learned to sit AND shake, and she’s even claimed her dog dad’s favorite sitting chair for herself – and he’s happy to share it.
