Abandoned dogs were found ‘clinging to survival.’ Now shelter hopes they stay together
Two abandoned dogs were found “clinging to survival” — and now, a shelter hopes they aren’t separated.
“Some souls find each other in the hardest of times,” the North Carolina animal shelter wrote Feb. 4 in a Facebook post. “That’s how it was for ZZ (Zaleah) and Rocky — two dogs who were left with nothing but each other … and a single stuffed animal for comfort.”
The Carteret County Humane Society said the canine friends are up for adoption after forming a “special bond.”
“We are trying very hard to adopt them together due to the hardship they encountered together,” Rachel Hardin, shelter manager, told McClatchy News via email. “We know adopting two dogs at once is going to be hard but we can’t imagine separating them now. They absolute love each other and Zaleah looks to Rocky for support every time they go out for a play. It is the sweetest!!”
Zaleah first landed at the shelter when she was a puppy in early 2020. She was adopted four times and at one point ended up in the same home as Rocky, who started acting as her guardian. Then their owner moved, leaving the pups to “fend for themselves for months,” according to their online adoption profiles.
“Workers eventually arrived to repair the home and discovered the two forgotten pups, clinging to survival,” the shelter wrote. “They began to feed them — their first act of kindness in what must have felt like an eternity of being invisible.”
A good Samaritan took in Zaleah and Rocky, but she eventually faced hardships of her own. In January, the rescued dogs landed at the shelter, where they have become known for being loyal and affectionate.
Zaleah, now 5 years old, is a playful, smart female dog with a love for snuggling in blankets. Rocky is described as a “gentle” 6-year-old male pup.
“These two have suffered enough heartbreak for a lifetime,” the humane society wrote. “They deserve more than just shelter walls. They deserve a family, a forever, a love that won’t leave.”
As of Feb. 7, the shelter’s website still listed the dogs as being in need of new homes. Details about the facility’s adoption process can be found at cchsshelter.com.
The shelter is in Newport, near popular beach towns and a roughly 140-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Abandoned dogs were found ‘clinging to survival.’ Now shelter hopes they stay together."
