The puppy that captured New Canaanites’ hearts after he was found abandoned and malnourished downtown two months ago has found a warm, loving local home.
The 6-month-old Chihuahua—named ‘Señor’ by the staff at New Canaan Veterinary Hospital—has been adopted by a trusted family that’s local to the area and, importantly, he comes into the Vitti Street facility for daycare to be with his many loving caregivers there, according to Tina Socci, practice manager at New Canaan Veterinary Hospital.
“That is the best part, because the family knows we love him so much,” Socci said as Technician Michelle Galanek held the puppy nearby.
“What happened was, obviously he’s special and we had someone come forward who is very close with us in the practice,” Socci said of Señor’s adoption. “We know the family, we know the pets, we know the care that they would provide. We had to say ‘Yes.’ I could not say no.”
There was plenty of interest—Socci said she got “a ton of emails” from local pet-friendly families who offered to give Señor a home after he was found March 20 in a crate outside CVS, severely underfed and screaming in fear and pain from a noncontagious form of mange.
Now he’s got his hair back—turns out it’s white with splotches of brown—and he’s gained weight.
He’s still being treated for his skin condition and the hospital’s medical staff will check at the end of this month for mites—even if he’s all-clear, he’ll undergo an additional month of treatment, Galanek said.
Asked what parts of his personality have emerged since his adoption, Galanek said: “He loves children. Loves children. We knew that he was scared of men at first but the guys that work here they take their time with him, and he does great with everybody. He loves everybody—cat, dog, big, small. So sweet.”
He plays with other animals, too, she said, including the receptionists’ dogs at lunchtime.
“He’s hysterical the way he has no fear of the big dogs and acts all tough and he’ll get them to run around and chase him,” she said. “He’s just got so much personality.”
New Canaanites will get to experience that personality from 12 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, June during New Canaan Dog Days on Cherry Street. Señor will be available for greetings, pets, love and admiration at the vet hospital’s table, Socci said.
It’s meant “the world” to the staff that Señor remains local and is a regular at the Vitti Street vet hospital, she said.
“It’s awesome,” she told NewCanaanite.com. “He’s part of our little New Canaan Vet family. He’s ours. He’s partially ours.”
Galanek said simply: “We love him. He’s our baby.”