A look back at some favorite adoptions
Every pet adoption is a sweet story. But some touch your heart just a little more than others, and there were plenty of those in 2015. There were families who drove hours to adopt their perfect pet and there were dogs and cats who took a longer route to the perfect home. There were animals who were brought back to life and those who brought people together.
We thought we’d share just a couple of more stories from 2015 that personally touched the hearts of Best Friends staff.
Rainbow finds her pot of gold
Nine-year-old Rainbow, a terrier mix, was left with Animal Care Centers of NYC (NYACC) with a gaping wound on her precious little face. But her sunny disposition, despite the obviously painful predicament she was in, captured the hearts of Best Friends–New York staff, who were able to pull her from the shelter and provide the lifesaving surgery that she needed.
Two surgeries later, she’s missing one eye and had eight teeth removed, but, as Shannon Kirkman, Best Friends mobile adoption coordinator in New York says: “Anyone who has doubts about adopting a senior dog should see Rainbow. I've never known a happier, more playful dog. She loves squeaky toys!”
Rainbow’s new family, a sweet retired couple who had just lost their own 20-year-old furry friend, agreed. They didn’t hesitate to adopt the mature terrier as a playmate for their remaining dog. Rainbow is now comfortable and happy in her home, and often spends her days visiting the park and basking in the sunshine — and, of course, playing with her squeaky toys.
Labrador love
Love often has a mind of its own — so do many Labrador retrievers. And when you put the two together, well, you get an adoption story that was clearly a case of mind over matter.
That was the case with Christopher, a Labrador pulled from NYACC by Best Friends, who also quickly endeared himself to Amy Davila, Best Friends–New York marketing manager.
“I fell in love with Christopher and his famous lab hugs,” she says. “He hugs you when he sees you.”
Christopher was one of hundreds of pets available for adoption at the New York Super Adoption event over the holidays, with staff hoping someone would want one of his famous hugs every day for the rest of his life. Amy’s close friend and fellow graduate school alumna, however, wasn’t looking for any kind of love. But she was in town for a holiday party, and decided to join Amy at the adoption event.
She innocently asked who Amy’s favorite dog was, and Amy happily introduced her to Christopher. It was love at first hug. The only trouble was timing. First, Christopher couldn’t exactly attend the party with her, and after the party he also wouldn’t be able to take the train back home with her.
“When she left the adoption event,” Amy says, “she worried that Christopher would be adopted by someone else, but I told her she should leave it to destiny.”
And destiny didn’t let them down. A few weeks later, all were reunited at a Best Friends mobile adoption event and this time, Amy’s friend was prepared. She brought the car. Christopher, renamed Otis, now lives in the comfort of sprawling Hudson Valley farmland among apple orchards and green fields.
Perfect Panda
If Best Friends staff wanted to know how a new cat reacted to other kitties, they’d call on their Panda. This handsome, three-year-old tomcat was cool as a cucumber around all kinds of other felines, making him the perfect litmus test for kitty personalities.
Yet, oddly enough, potential adopters weren’t connecting with Panda. He was even part of a wildly successful series of eight cat adoption events at Urban Outfitters locations around the city. Still, no dice. Between his striking looks and easygoing nature, why did it take months for him to catch the eye of an adopter?
Perhaps the reason is because fate (once again) was in play on his behalf. A chance meeting between Shannon and a stranger in a vet’s office is how Panda found his home. There, Shannon met a woman who was heartbroken by the loss of her senior cat, and it turned out that Panda was the perfect new pet for her. In his new home, Panda gets to be best buds — not with a cat, but with a pug named Sadie, who had been lonely since the passing of her senior friend.
Fill 2016 with more pet adoptions
Throughout 2016 you can find the furry love of your life at one of Best Friends many adoption events. Best Friends–New York holds mobile events at various pet store locations, as well as pop-up adoption events that take over a new location each month for a weekend of fun. And super adoption events bring together not just Best Friends’ adoptable pets, but also hundreds of animals from rescue groups all around New York and the tri-state area.
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