Zander found happiness, as well as 47 other pets!

Written by Claire Lefew

You probably know Zander if follow along on social media or visit us at the Center for Pets. We first met him here at the Center for Pets in February 2021 after he was transferred as an at-risk pet from a shelter in North Carolina. Zander hasn’t spent all of these two-plus years in the shelter, he’s had breaks in foster, and even has been adopted, but none were quite the right fit for him.

I knew Zander for a long time, but I didn’t become close friends with him until a few months ago. I had heard from my coworkers that Zander was declining. This looks different for every dog but for Zander, he actually got quieter and wasn’t showing excitement or joy for much of anything. If you walked by his kennel, he would seem like a very polite, shy, dog but we knew that he wasn’t doing well.

I started bringing Zander to my office most days. He was a little nervous at first but, he was immediately able to take many deep, long naps that just weren’t possible in the loud kennel area. Everyone who passed by got a giggle out of his sploots and how he liked to pass out half-on and half-off the dog bed (which was plenty big to fit all of him I might add).

After about a week, Zander became a different dog. After he was able to trust me, we became fast friends. He was often seen squirming his way into my lap and pushing my hands away from the keyboard to give him attention. He also started playing with toys for the first time in a long time and we discovered that he
loves to shred up cardboard boxes. (check out the cute video here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1021813992175876?mibextid=kcDB8O)

We started to feature Zander and his personality that blossomed through these consistent breaks from the stressful kennel area. One day, a nice man came into the Center for Pets who heard about Zander and saw one of the videos we made. He knew that Zander needed a family and he had been wanting a companion. After a few meet and greets, Zander and his new dad built the strongest bond we’ve seen with Zander and an adopter, and we decided together to go for it! Zander has been HOME since last weekend and was officially ADOPTED Friday.

Zander’s dad reports that he loves to cuddle with him on the couch, go on lots of walks and adventures, and spend as much time as possible glued to his side.

Thank you SO much to everyone who helped Zander find his happiness like Terry Subaru and CTA Consultants who sponsored his adoption.

Check out who else got adopted below!

Pets that were adopted October 24th through October 30th.

Cats that were adopted:

Abagail, Avocado, Beach Day, Beckley, Blotch, Brooks, Calabash, Corey Taylor, Danielle, Daphne, DaVinci, Eileen, Elijah, Elmer, Evermore, Garlic Bread, Girl Dinner, Goblin, Hot Cheetos, Jackie, Joli, Katie, Kisses, Marble, Melora, Meredith Grey, Peppy, Pumpkin, Red, Reputation, Schmidt, Shark, Spaghetti, Susie, Taquito, Thurman, and Yellowstone.

Dogs that were adopted:

Clyde, Diego, Hans, Herbie, Jasmine, Murphy, Nova, Potato, Wednesday Adams, and Zander.

Small pets that were adopted:

Hopscotch