It’s not accurate that Tri-County Humane Society discourages adopting a pet for a loved one as a surprise – as long as the person wants and can care for the gift of a furry friend, it can be an extremely thoughtful gesture! (We do warn that if the recipient is not interested, the adopter should have a plan B in place, though.)
This adoption story comes from a junior TCHS volunteer named Jazmyn who got a great surprise – and a new best friend. The 4-year-old dog known as Otter at Tri-County Humane Society (who now goes by Roxie) came to us as a stray, and she quickly captured Jazmyn’s heart. Jazmyn's family arranged the surprise, and got some of the TCHS staff members in on the effort.
“I have loved every dog that I have worked with there, but I absolutely fell in love with Roxie. My parents ended up surprising me with adopting her for my graduation present (because I graduated this year). Kate (the volunteer boss) emailed me asking if I could come in for an hour, so I did. One of the staff members asked me to help with a dog-on-dog meet and greet (which they never do), so I went and helped. She grabbed Roxie and we walked outside and I saw my family with my other dog, Oliver, out there and I almost started crying.”
The volunteer even took Roxie to obedience training right away, and Roxie graduated! They've had a wonderful almost eight months together so far.
“She’s my best friend, and (she) loves any and all dogs and all little kids,” Jazmyn writes. “She’s living her best life.”
