George, dog found emaciated in Nova Scotia, finds new home in P.E.I.
'It was love at first sight' between the boxer and his new family
A dog found injured and emaciated three months ago in Nova Scotia has found a new home and family in Charlottetown.
Courtney Kennedy and Jamie Juniper said they were looking for a new dog when they stumbled across George's story.
The boxer had been found wandering near a Hants County landfill in December extremely emaciated with a rope embedded into his neck, when he was rescued and rehabilitated.
"At the end of January, I lost my best buddy Champ, who was my dog for 10 years, and it was a really tough time," said Juniper.
Kennedy said when she saw a photo of George, she had a feeling he was the right dog for them.
"I was like, 'We need to have that dog, we could give that dog an amazing home,'" said Kennedy.
Shelley Cunningham, president of Litters n' Critters Rescue, said there had been a lot of interest in George when his story made the news, but Juniper and Kennedy's application stood out.
"We didn't want people to adopt him because he was the poor, poor dog that went through hell and back, we wanted somebody to adopt a dog," she said.
"It was just love at first sight ... We saw how well George bonded with them, and we saw how well they bonded with George … he's doing wonderful."
In the three months since he was found, the dog has put on weight and gone through training. Cunningham said he's between one and five years old, but Juniper is willing to guess he's on the younger side.
'A bit of a goof'
"When he gets going, he's a bit of a goof," he said. "He's a little cautious every time he meets something for about 30 seconds or a minute, but then next thing you know, he's trying to jump on you so he can lick your face."
The couple said he loves to cuddle, sits on a lap whenever he can, and sleeps in their bed with his head on the pillows.
"Not knowing anything that he's been through, you would really have a hard time guessing, because he sure is forgiving and he doesn't hold any grudges," said Juniper.
There is one issue — George is the same name as Kennedy's former dog, and still a bit of a sore spot.
"There were two names of any dog name that would be a little tough for us, one was Champ, which was my old dog, and one was George, which is one of Courtney's old dogs, and we had to say goodbye to both of them in the last year," said Juniper.
They've renamed him Trooper, and say he's already starting to respond to the new name.
"It's very fitting," he said. "I think it's a good one."
'A family of thousands'
The Nova Scotia SPCA is investigating what happened to the dog and trying to find his previous owner. Spokesperson Courtney Zylstra said anyone with information should contact them, and any tips will be kept confidential.
Cunningham is grateful for the public support she's received to cover George's vet bills, and said there are still a few more fundraising initiatives to come to cover the costs.
Juniper and Kennedy said they're both thankful to everyone who helped the dog on his way to them.
"We're just the people who let him sleep in our house, but I think he's got a family of thousands," said Juniper.
"It's almost surreal that he's our pup now. He's not going anywhere, that's for sure."
