People at the Shenandoah Valley Animal Care Center are glad that Little Nugget the puppy and her pal, Chicky the cat, are in a loving foster home now.
Partially, of course, because it provides these young ones a chance to become healthy and robust before they go up for adoption.
But partly because “we could get nothing done while they were with us,” shelter director Lindsey Huffman tells The Dodo. “These are about the prettiest things I have ever seen!”
These two kids came at the Virginia shelter independently, on the same day: October 3.
The kitten, Chicky, was found as a stray, and was thankfully quite healthy.
The puppy was a different story. She was brought to the shelter early one morning by a guy who was “in tears because she was dying and simply wanted assistance,” says Huffman.
Nugget was unconscious; her glucose levels and body temperature were too low even to register. Even after being given fluids and other care, she did not even begin to open her eyes or move her head for several hours.
A member of the shelter staff brought Nugget home to keep an eye on her during the night – and kept that eye on her all night long, since even as her health recovered, the puppy required continual care and affection. She did the same on the second day, and second night.
She was “whiny and agitated to the point someone had to hold her all the time,” says Huffman. “In a busy shelter this wasn’t doable.”
Chicky, meantime, was also lonely and noisy alone in her cage. The fatigued shelter personnel decided, Why not give this a shot?
“They immediately started nuzzling one another and later started playing,” says Huffman. “Match made in heaven!”
And it’s been just like that, ever since.
They’re being fostered by the shelter’s veterinarian, Leti Hansen – who adds that, predictably, they continue to be each other’s BFFs, and “they are fantastic.”
In another couple of weeks, Nugget and Chicky will be ready to be adopted. The shelter is seeking applications now (reach out if you want to be considered!).
They can be adopted out of state – though a shelter visit is required – and must stay together as a pair.
Huffman doesn’t think they will have any problem finding a beautiful home, as all but the most cold-hearted individuals “instantly fall in love. I really wish it was as easy for every shelter pet to find a permanent home!”
What’s really astonishing isn’t only that these two are so cute together, but that they also possibly saved each other’s lives.
Without Chicky, Huffman thinks Nugget would have been impossible to place in a foster home, since she required so much attention. And cats like Chicky don’t have such great chances at shelters, too, when they’re flying solo.
“Otherwise she would be just one of several tabby kittens who may be with us for months trying to find a family,” says Huffman. “She was merely happy to be the chosen companion of a gorgeous puppy.”
