‘Loyal’ dog struggles in shelter after losing longtime canine friend. He needs a home
A “loyal” dog is struggling in a shelter after losing his longtime canine friend.
Now, the 3-year-old pup waits for a home where he can get a fresh start, a North Carolina shelter wrote in an online adoption profile and in a Facebook post.
“Nate’s zest for life and the sparkle in his eyes have been dimming,” Foothills Humane Society, based in the Polk County town of Columbus, wrote March 21 on social media. “We try to keep him with a playmate and spend extra time with him but his active mind is going crazy without a purpose.”
Nate is up for adoption after he and his buddy Norah landed at the shelter in June. At the time, his owner was in an accident and the two pups were picked up as strays. They were reclaimed before Nate was seen loose again in mid-January, Sarah McDonald, director of operations, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
“He was abandoned in Rutherford County at a motel with his best friend, Norah, and unfortunately Norah was hit by a car and didn’t make it,” the shelter wrote. “Nate didn’t leave her. He found himself a box next to the dumpster and waited to be rescued.”
A good Samaritan rescued Nate, who had been sleeping inside the box. When he arrived at the humane society, he was dirty and treated for fleas but showed signs that someone had been feeding him. Shelter workers weren’t able to reach his owner and noticed his sad demeanor.
“It was very obvious that he was really missing Norah,” McDonald said. “From what we had learned from the original owner, the two of them had been together virtually their whole lives.”
McDonald said cattle dogs also thrive on human connections, so the shelter kept Nate in its front office. As the months passed, he has become “overstimulated” in the shelter environment.
“He’s running out of time in a way that isn’t measured in days, but in spirit,” the animal organization wrote. “Nate is an extremely well trained cattle dog mix who is loyal, obedient, and intelligent. All of those qualities will make him a fantastic partner but they make it extremely difficult to live in a shelter.”
As of March 24, Nate was in need of a new owner. He would do best as the only male dog in his next home. The shelter also hopes the “loving” energetic pup is matched with a family that has experience caring for task-oriented breeds.
The humane society is in Columbus, a roughly 40-mile drive southeast from the mountain town of Asheville. Details about the facility’s adoption process can be found at foothillshumanesociety.org.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM with the headline "‘Loyal’ dog struggles in shelter after losing longtime canine friend. He needs a home."
