Scared sisters Cindy and Ellie were found living in a vehicle, the result of a drug bust.  They were scared beyond belief of people, but you could see sweetness in their eyes.  Both shepherd mixes, they bad beautiful merled eyes and were both gorgeous.
Our shelter staff started working with both of them, keeping them together for awhile, then slowly separating them as they began to have a little trust.  This is the best thing to do when adopting them together is almost impossible.  Various volunteers would take Cindy and Ellie out hiking and for rides.  One took Cindy home to foster for a long period until no longer able to do so.  Then another volunteer worked with Cindy daily, taking her to sit at home for a few hours at a time.  A dog with issues like Ellie and Cindy need patience and time as they learn to build trust and overcome each fear.  Just being in a new place was scary enough to take hours for each of them to even be comfortable enough to lay down and relax.  We saw something in them, though.  Thankfully, with the help of our wonderful volunteers, both Cindy and Ellie grew more trusting with time.  They each developed their own personalities, and with careful screening, each found the perfect adoptive families, Cindy to Atlanta and Ellie to Pennsylvania.  Cindy went from being afraid to come out of her crate for the first 3 nights at her adoptive home, to sleeping with her new parent, traveling with him, and even playing with relatives and their dogs.  Ellie became a member of a family in PA who report that she is playing with them, and very comfortable in her surroundings.  In other words, both went from being scared in a van to becoming normal canine members of their human families.  Mostly, they are loved and happy! click photos below for bigger pics