When Everglades Angels brought Kali to her new home in Port St. Lucie, the rescued dog found a new lease on life.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe walked in our home, walked right up to my 1-year-old grandson [Gavin] and rolled on her back for belly rubs,\u201d Lani Evans told TCPalm.\u00a0\u201cShe was comfortable, she was loved, and she was home \u2014 forever!\u201d<\/p>\n
Kali\u2019s life was not always so good. Someone had put her in a metal cage and left her to die in the Everglades sometime before Lani and Darrell Evans adopted her in September 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe chewed her way out of the cage and \u2014 being the loyal companion that she is \u2014 she waited by that cage for her owner to come back for her,\u201d Lani said.\u00a0\u201cOur understanding is that a passerby saw her and was occasionally tossing out food to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Someone eventually called Everglades Angels<\/a>, a South Florida nonprofit that rescues, treats and finds forever homes for abandoned dogs. Kali was underweight and traumatized, but the nonprofit restored her to good health, Lani said.<\/p>\n \u201cKali has never had any medical issues.\u00a0She is perfectly healthy,\u201d Lani said.\u00a0\u201cThe first couple of days with us, she definitely had a little anxiety. No doubt, she was likely unsure if her new surroundings would be permanent.\u00a0Within a couple of days, she realized this was her new home.\u201d<\/p>\n The Evanses gave Kali a DNA test that revealed she was 50% border collie; 37.5% Great Pyrenees and 12.5% German shepherd. Everglades Angels estimated she was 4 years old, but Lani thinks she was younger because she still has the energy of a puppy eight years later.<\/p>\n \u201cKali has never met a stranger. She loves everyone; all dogs and all children,\u201d Lani said.\u00a0\u201cShe protects us daily from squirrels and the Amazon man!\u201d<\/p>\n To the rescue: Epidemic of dogs dumped in Everglades hits home for Treasure Coast woman<\/a><\/p>\n Forever home: Lulu, a dog abandoned in the Everglades, now lives on the Treasure Coast<\/a><\/p>\n Two years after their dog died, the Evanses began thinking and talking about adopting a dog. When Darrell saw Kali on the Everglades Angels website<\/a>, their minds were made up.<\/p>\n \u201cHe quickly filled out an application and made an appointment to meet her and we immediately knew she\u00a0should come home with us,\u201d Lani said.\u00a0\u201cAll she asks for \u2014 in return for her love and loyalty \u2014 are daily belly rubs.\u201d<\/p>\n Though the Evanses constantly love on Kali, Lani said it pales in comparison to the love Kali gives them. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s horrible that these very innocent animals have to suffer because of horrible decisions made by a human,\u201d Lani said.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m so thankful for rescues like Everglades Angels that are working hard to get these animals off the streets and into loving homes. We feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to make Kali part of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n How to adopt an Everglades dog, donate or volunteer to a dog rescue<\/p>\n