Number Eight Became Nate
One adopters #MetOnPetfinder Tail of Success
One adopters #MetOnPetfinder Tail of Success
Thursday, December 29, 2016 | NHS Staff
My journey to adopt through Petfinder started at 4am on a Friday morning. I had recently lost my 10 year old, 100 pound, love of my life Labrador, and I was missing him awfully. I also had a 2 year old Golden Retriever puppy that was missing his play buddy.
Nate taking his freedom ride with his new owner!
I had been looking at all the local shelter's websites. I had checked with the local Rescues. I had been to several dog adoption events. But I wasn't having any luck. I had met several possible dog "matches", but I just wasn't having that "you must come home with me!" moment.
So at 4 am, I discovered that on Petfinder, I could search all the local shelters at once and sort by breed. And I found this poor scared looking skinny Yellow Lab. Something about this emaciated guy just spoke to me. I was waiting at the NE Humane Society at noon when they opened for adoptions. When I found him (they had named him Waldo) he was curled up in a little ball on a blue blanket in the back of his kennel. He was totally shut down.
When the adoption coounselor brought him in to meet me he RAN into my arms and just velcro'd himself to the front of me. He didn't care about the ball or the toys or anything else. He just wanted cuddles. He had had a terrible life. Someone had tied him out on a chain and he had chewed on the chain until about a third of his teeth were broken off. The NHS had had to remove two more that were shattered. Then someone had just dumped him and left him to fend for himself. He was skin and bones and was covered with (old) scars. But he was such a love. That was it. I loaded him up and home he came.
At first I just called him #8, since he's my eighth retriever. After a couple days "Number Eight" became Nate...and I named him Nathan Eugene.
Now he has a big fenced in back yard and a buddy to play with. He has two kittee buddies that he is SO gentle with. And he has a sofa in the family room that no one sits on except him and his Golden buddy. Oh....and pillows. He has pillows.
– Debra
