AKRON, Ohio — When they were rescued most of them were bald, exhausted and could barely breathe.
"All of them were petrified, " said Tanya Jonda from One of a Kind Pet Rescue in Akron. "All of them cowered, all of them were scared."
She says they saved 53 dogs from a hoarding situation in southern Ohio in early October. All of the dogs were suffering from mange.
"Eventually you could see a lot of them come around and know that we were good and we were here to help them," she said.
Jonda says after about a month of treatment, 35 of the dogs they call the 'diamonds in the ruff' have found their humans.
"When they were adopted, it was very bitter sweet," said Jonda. "You know it was ultimately the goal and we celebrate every single one, but its a little heartbreaking for us."
All of the 'diamonds in the ruff' are now healed physically, but some of them still have many emotional scars.
Jonda says they need a little bit of extra help before being placed in forever homes.
"We don't have a professional behavioral therapist on hand here, and that's what we need," said Jonda.
The pet rescue has been raising money through Go Fund Me and social media to hire a full time canine behavioral specialist for the diamonds and other dogs that need the attention.
"Teach them how to be a dog, how to trust," said Jonda. "When a dog is slow to trust that way, its not really adoptable."
Luckily an organization has stepped in and pledged to match all donations for the position up to $22,000.
Jonda is hopeful the remaining diamonds will soon find their shine.
"We hope that they are able to trust again, able to love, able to be comfortable in a home environment," she said.
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