Faces of No-Kill: Dog’s cheekiness charms adopters

What does it mean to be cheeky? Delightfully naughty. Adorably mischievous. Headstrong but in an endearing way. And nothing sums up “cheeky” more than this dog, who just happens to be named Cheecky.

Cheecky is a 1-year-old pup packed with personality. That was evident from the first time she padded into the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York after being taken in from a city shelter. Although she was clearly smart and sweet — she convinced everyone she met to give her belly rubs — she was also anxious.

[Time, training, and love transform nervous dog]

Cheecky exhibited something called fly-biting syndrome, where she would nip at the air repeatedly, as if she were trying to catch invisible flies. It can be difficult to determine the root cause — it can be medical, behavioral, or both. So Best Friends staff decided to see whether time in a foster home would help her feel less anxious.

Cheecky stayed in several different foster homes during her healing journey. Each foster volunteer became completely smitten, one describing her as a “delicious, mushy, and loving land manatee.” The foster volunteers also helped her work through her issues. In addition to fly biting, she was uneasy around new people and would go to the bathroom indoors. So Best Friends arranged for a dog trainer to work with Cheecky in her foster home.

[Faces of No-Kill: Nervous dog becomes ambassador of fun]

With training sessions, dedicated foster volunteers, and lots of treats, Cheecky started to transform into the confident and playful pup everyone knew she was inside.

About three months after her arrival, Adam and Liane spotted Cheecky’s irresistible face on the Best Friends website. Their beloved dog, Chloe (also adopted from Best Friends), had recently passed away. After the heartbreak of losing Chloe, they weren’t sure whether they wanted another dog. But that was about to change.

The couple came to the pet adoption center to meet Cheecky, and sure enough, their hearts began to open again. As they put it, “When you know, you know.” After being counseled on Cheecky’s challenges and how best to support her, Adam and Liane took their girl home.

Today, Cheecky is living her best life, and she’s doing it while wearing pink and pearls. Her interests include taking walks, running at full speed, playing fetch, and showing off her smarts. (Her “sit” and “shake” are textbook quality.) She’s a total mama’s girl but learning that Adam isn’t half bad either.

Her people continue to work with her on her anxiety and say her fly-biting behavior has lessened since being home. This affectionate and quirky girl is exactly who she is — and that’s truly what it means to be Cheecky.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.