Gibbs

There are some dogs who just don’t do well in shelter settings. They need a little more love and attention in order to get ready for their forever family. Gibbs, a terrier mix, was one of those dogs. He wasn’t doing well in the shelter because of his shyness. It even got to the point where he was deemed unadoptable. A foster family was needed to help him come out of his shell, so people could see just how great he really was. That’s where Judi and John came in.

The two of them have been fostering dogs for about a year and half, and they were more than happy to bring Gibbs into their family. It took him a while to settle in to this new home, but Judi, John, and their four dogs helped him to feel loved and supported enough to show a completely different side of himself. Where once he was shy and nervous, he was now more outgoing and confident. The process was slow and had its challenges, but the reward was great. Gibbs was feeling comfortable and ready to go home.

After spending a month in their home, it was time for Gibbs to go to his forever home. People started showing interest in Gibbs, and it was now time to find that perfect family for him. When Judi met Kathy, she realized that this was the perfect person to provide a forever home for Gibbs. And when Kathy came to pick him up, he never looked back. He had found his person. Six months later Gibbs and Kathy are happy together and doing great. It’s hard to say if he would have been adopted as quickly, or at all, if he had not been fostered. Fostering can be an important step in the adoption process. Judi has some advice for anyone considering fostering dogs:

You have to have the right mindset, because the day will come when they will get adopted. You have to be willing to open your home for them and make them feel safe, wanted, and most of all loved. You need to have the patience to work with them to overcome their fears from separation anxiety, aggressions, shyness, etc. These dogs’ lives have been turned upside down and now they are in a strange place feeling lost. You need to make them feel like part of your home. In return you get this unconditional love that is so rewarding.
Remember, you don’t have to be this savant with dogs. You just have to have love and patience to make a difference in their lives.

Hank

Arco

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I remember the day that Arco, came to the shelter back in August of 2012. I remember it so well, because it was also the same day that I started working at BENCHS. Arco, was found running in the city of Mankato, and was found by the police department. When Arco first came to the shelter, he weighed only 3 pounds and was the cutest kitten that I had ever seen. Although he was very afraid and shy, there was something that was very special about him. I was given the opportunity to name him, and he was one of my “favorites” at the time. I remember the first night that Arco, was at the shelter, because when I came into work the next morning, his cage was wide open and I panicked thinking that he was somewhere in the shelter hiding. When I went to look for Arco, he was nowhere to be found. However, when I was looking under his cage, I heard a faint meow and I looked up to find Arco still in his kennel cowering on the corner. 
As the months when on Arco slowly came out of his shell and he quickly grew from a 3 pound kitten, and into an 18 pound cat. Although Arco seemed very happy to live in his condo, it broke my heart when I thought about him growing up at the shelter. He had no idea what he was missing out on! I really wanted to adopt Arco. However my home is very busy and full of animals already and he would have been very terrified to be in that type of environment. I was very excited when a family came to the shelter to adopt Arco about a year into his stay. The family seemed like a great fit, they were a quiet family, home often and had two other cats. After 3 days, I was shocked when I came to the shelter and found that Arco had been returned because the family’s first cat was very upset about the new residents. 
Another year went by before anybody came in to see Arco. He was still the happy kitty who loved his condo friends and the security of his condo. It was a busy Saturday afternoon at the shelter, when a young newlywed couple came into the shelter who had recently bought a home and they were looking for another cat for their current cat to keep company. When they saw all the cats in the shelter, they were overwhelmed and sadden looking at all of the homeless cats. They asked us who had been at the shelter, and I told them about Arco. When they went into Arco’s condo, he immediately ran away in the corner and was very shy but curious. After the couple spent 15 minutes with Arco, they came out of the condo and told me that he was purrfect and they wanted to adopt him. Tears immediately filled my eyes because I was so happy for him. I told the family about the first time that Arco was adopted, and they were very understanding. I told them it could take months for him to be comfortable in his new home but he was the sweetest boy and very near and dear to me. The adopting family said to me; “Don’t worry about Arco; he will have all the time in the world to settle in and we will never push him and love him to pieces.”  
After watching Arco, leave the shelter with his forever home was one of the best moments I have had working at the shelter. Arco now has the purrfect family, a kitty friend to play with and all the time in the world to love his new family and home! This is what it’s all about!

Snow Ball and Pony Boy

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Visit our Happy Tails Archive for many more tails of successful Adoptions.