Dog was ‘wandering and terrified’ after Helene ravaged NC. Now, he needs a home
A dog was found “wandering and terrified” after Hurricane Helene slammed North Carolina — and now, he’s waiting for a second chance.
Nigel the dog made it to safety, landing in a foster home. But after the situation didn’t work out, he needs another new home.
“Since being in the shelter, his distress has increased, exhibiting barking at the gate to his pen, especially when other dogs walk by,” his former foster mom told the Yancey County Humane Society in a Jan. 16 Facebook post.
Nigel is in need of a new foster parent or owner after he was found in rough shape. He had been seen roaming after Hurricane Helene, which ravaged parts of Western North Carolina with strong winds and catastrophic flooding in late September.
“He was first at a neighbor’s house, taking up residence on their porch but never allowing anyone to get close to him,” wrote the former foster mom, who wasn’t identified in the social media post. “When the temperature got cold mid-October, I was able to approach him.”
The woman took in the injured dog and started to form a connection with him. But she said she had to give up Nigel after he and her other pup got into random “scuffles.”
“This decision was extremely difficult as Nigel had bonded so well with me over the 2+ months,” she wrote. “However the thought of a scuffle turning into something bigger is not something I wanted to (tempt) fate with.”
Though the shelter previously said Nigel should be the only dog in his next home, he has been making canine friends. Potential adopters are welcome to have their dogs meet Nigel, described as a 2-year-old pup who guards his toys and loves attention. He also gets stressed on car rides, whining as he seeks human contact.
The mixed-breed pup’s ideal home would be with a family who “doesn’t plan to take him to a dog park” and has a fenced-in yard, the shelter wrote in an online adoption profile and an email to McClatchy News.
As of Jan. 21, the shelter’s website still listed Nigel among the animals available for adoption in Burnsville, a roughly 35-mile drive northeast from Asheville. Details about the facility’s adoption process can be found at yanceyhumanesociety.org.
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Dog was ‘wandering and terrified’ after Helene ravaged NC. Now, he needs a home."
