Vermont, Alabama, Texas, and Massachusetts, what do these states have in common? They are where our wonderful NCAL adoptable dogs have come from this past year!
Old Greg
Old Greg, a 10 year old Boxer mix was dumped out of a car on the side of the road in Walden, VT. Alone and scared, good samaritans found him and contacted the Animal Control Officer. The Town Council found him a place to board with a wonderful older woman who kept him safe on her farm while a place for him was found. The Town Council reached out to us at NCAL and we worked together to find a way to get him from the woman’s house to the shelter as she had recently had a medical event and could no longer drive.
From the second Greg walked in the door at NCAL we knew he was special. He greeted everyone enthusiastically with a big smile on his face. Our shelter staff was impressed on how well he did during his initial assessment and medical exam. He was a perfect gentleman through it all. He turned his nose up at our fancier treats and gobbled down Milkbones much to the amusement of our behavior consultant. Old Greg’s winning personality quickly led to him becoming a staff and volunteer favorite. No one could fathom a reason why he would have been abandoned at his advanced age to fend for himself in a strange place, but we were glad that he was safe and now available to find a caring home. He was only with us a few weeks when a young woman walked in looking for a dog. She and Old Greg fell in love and he will get to live out his golden years safe and warm.
Pony
When adorable pup Pony came to us from Alabama, we were surprised to see that what had looked like one ear up and one ear pinned back in her photo, was actually one ear up and a missing ear! We reached out to our southern partner to ask more about her story. Not only had Pony survived an attack at the shelter that resulted in her losing her ear, she narrowly escaped the shelter with her life.
When our southern partners entered the shelter that day, they were told that the shelter was overcrowded and currently euthanizing dogs for space, including a litter of puppies. Pony’s litter. They jumped to the rescue and said they would take the puppies so that they could have a second chance at life. Pony and her sister Doll were the only two left by the time they arrived. They went to foster with our partners where they were nursed back to health. Their adorable faces caught our attention and we chose them to come up to VT, not knowing their tragic backstory. While Doll has been adopted, Pony is still looking for a human to claim her as their own. Please consider this incredible survivor if you have room in your heart and home.
Ellie
Brielle, now Ellie, came to us from Texas. The Dallas Fort Worth shelter can have hundreds of dogs in care at any given time. Anything from chihuahuas, to poodles, to pit bulls. They are overcrowded and do their best every single day to save as many dogs as they can when faced repeatedly with impossible decisions of life and death. We are so lucky here in Vermont to not have to euthanize healthy, adoptable animals purely due to space.
Ellie’s adopter is from Rhode Island, so Ellie spent a few days on a farm in foster care in Vermont where she instantly adapted to young children, 3 large dogs, 3 cats, chickens, and goats! She is now in Providence, enjoying walks, play time with other dogs, and snuggles on the couch. She’s never met a stranger, and it’s rare she makes it through a walk in her neighborhood without stopping to be pet by passing admirers.
Meredith
Meredith came to us from a rescue partner in Massachusetts where she and her siblings had been waiting for months in foster care. They were reportedly a little bit shy, but lovely and friendly once they warmed up. We had space, and they needed a new audience, so we called on our transport driver Becky to make the trip from MA to VT with these 3 girls and one other dog who had been waiting in foster care for months as well. Within two weeks, all of these dogs had found new homes. Vermont loves huskies and Meredith and her sisters got very lucky. Meredith’s adoption story was especially touching for those of us at NCAL because we already knew her adopters.
Smoke
One of our Alabama dogs, Smoke, had found an amazing home. They loved him so much, and enjoyed having a dog so much, they came in looking for a friend for him one day. They saw Meredith and fell in love. Having two dogs in the home was a bit of a learning curve, but they figured it out and soon became a happy two dog family. Meredith (now Storm) and Smoke love snuggling, and have no sense of personal space, with Storm laying on TOP of Smoke in a photo they shared with us. Their days are full of hiking, fetch and swimming during the warmer months.
Since adopting Storm, they have added a third dog to their family when a relative passed away, quickly going from having no dogs, to three dogs in less than a year. They now have one in each size, small, medium and large! Dogs can truly change your life in such a fulfilling way. We love our repeat adopters!
