Animal advocates are seeking a home for a dog rescued from Alabama this spring and living with a New Canaan family.
Thor getting pets at his New Canaan foster home. Photo courtesy of Beth Joyce
A 5-year-old shepherd mix, Thor has a sweet temperament and “has lived with kids, cats and dogs” since his owners down south were evicted from their home, according to town resident Toni Palladino.
A volunteer for 10 years with Norwalk-based nonprofit Leader of the Pack, Palladino said she wanted the organization to rescue Thor specifically “because he looked so sad.”
“They all do,” Palladino told NewCanaanite.com.
“He’s from Alabama and a woman had him and several other dogs and she lived in a home that she rented for many years,” she continued. “The house was sold and a new landlord came and told her, ‘Either the dogs go or you go.’ So I contacted Jennifer [Gordon] at the rescue, asked if we could take him and she said yes, got him here to Connected and vetted. He’s a great dog. Right now, adoptions are down. People are giving up their animals. This is a great family dog, just great all the way around. We’re just trying to find him a home.”
Thor. Photo courtesy of Beth Joyce
Palladino added, “I know there’s a family out there for him.”
Since April, he’s been living with Beth Joyce and Andy Kerchoff’s family here in town.
“He is the sweetest, most calm dog you’ll ever have,” Joyce said. “We’ve done a few fosters and they’re all kind of good dogs, but he loves his person. He will make eye contact with you all day long, letting you know all he wants and all he needs.”
Thor is learning the sounds of the suburbs, such as early-morning garbage trucks, and he’s acclimating well, she said.
“We just walked up to Swirl and back and he did great, met other dogs and people,” she said. “He loves dogs, he wants that kind of stimulation. He’s kind of a chicken. He’ll be by your side all the time.”
Thor also is “great with my kids,” said Joyce, referring to her son, 12, and daughter, 9.
Thor getting walked in New Canaan. Photo courtesy of Beth Joyce
“He’s so easy,” she said. “He’s such a good boy.”
Thor has no medical issues and is scheduled to be neutered in two weeks, so he’ll be both neutered and vaccinated for his forever home.
Ideally, Thor would enter a home that already has a dog, Palladino said.
“We are looking at this a little differently because when he arrived we noticed he was missing being with other dogs, and he was in a foster home with others and did beautifully there, and then we had to move him because of scheduling,” she said. “For him, in a perfect world what would be great is a fenced-in yard, because he does love run and play, another dog to play with, and preferably somebody who is not working full-time or works from home or part-time. We do feel that we see a difference with him being with another dog to play with and for companionship.”
The adoption fee is $550, and 100% of that goes back to the rescue and “saving another dog’s life,” Palladino said.
Anyone interested in Thor should text or phone Toni Palladino at 203-943-5813 to set up a meet-and-greet.