For over eight months, volunteer Dharma Lorenz visited a sweet pup named Satchi, building a quiet bond with him during their time together at the shelter.
Then one day, she got the call no animal lover ever wants to hear — the overcrowded shelter had placed Satchi on the euthanasia list, and he had just 24 hours left.
Dharma didn’t hesitate.
“I ran straight out of work to get him,” she shared in a video for The Dodo.
During the car ride home, Satchi trembled with confusion, unsure of what was happening. But the moment he stepped inside his new home and realized he was finally safe, everything shifted.
His fear melted away — and pure joy took over. Satchi sprinted from room to room, leaping so high with excitement that he looked like he was taking flight.
That night, after all the happy zooming, Satchi curled up and drifted off with an enormous, peaceful smile.
“Deaf dogs — especially Satchi — don’t fall asleep easily unless they feel truly safe,” Lorenz explained. “When you see that level of trust… selfishly, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Satchi, who is deaf, was joining a home already filled with a few other rescued deaf pups — and it was as if he’d always belonged there.
“They understand each other on a completely different level,” Lorenz said.
Now, Satchi “flies” every chance he gets — at the beach, around the house, and anywhere his paws have room to launch. His joyful leaps have become his signature way of showing just how much he loves his second chance.
“No matter how many times he takes off, he always makes us smile,” Lorenz said.
