Gaia’s life started as a game of inches.

Oct 04, 2019

Gaia had never set foot outside her small cage before she came to PAWS. Now, with the help of the adoption team, she’s got the whole world at her fingertips.

Thirty-six, maybe forty-two inches. That was likely the size of Gaia’s whole world before PAWS came into the picture.

After being surrendered to CACC at about five months old, Gaia was transferred over to PAWS Chicago in very poor shape.

PAWS medical team quickly identified issues with Gaia’s muscles and tendons –they had not developed properly– leaving her with very bowed hind legs that caused her difficulty walking.

The probable cause: spending the most formative months of her life stuck inside a cage.

“I remember her having difficult time walking. I had to carry her up the stairs at the medical center, said Alisha Benavides, Intake Manager at PAWS.”                               

Luckily for Gaia, she had ended up in the right place. PAWS Chicago wasted no time finding Gaia a dedicated foster Dad, Matthew, who worked tirelessly to help strengthen her weak, underdeveloped muscles.

As Gaia’s space to live –and grow– improved, her progress follow suit. Gia started to make great strides, literally!

Forty-one days after Gaia was carried through PAWS doors, she walked back out. Only this time, she did it on her own, and with a new family in tow!