PUHI — A second chance united Jane Campos and “Minnie.”
The North Shore resident adopted the three-year-old, terrier mix on Monday.
“She’s very shy but connects really good with other dogs,” Campos said.
The adoption of one dog at the Kauai Humane Society might not seem all that unusual, but there was a bit of drama played out after a social media campaign gained traction.
Campos came across the small, white dog while hiking with her 11-year-old black lab last week. The lost dog followed her dog, so Campos took it to KHS and said if the owners didn’t claim it, she would.
No one did. But when she returned for the required meet-and-greet between her dog and the one she hoped to take in, it didn’t go well. The dogs didn’t seem to respond well to each other, with some growling, and the adoption was in jeopardy.
Campos was disappointed and that’s when friends of Campos spread the word on Facebook.
“This sweet puppy was so excited when she saw her new brother, she jumped around excitedly. Jane’s dog, being on a leash, growled as he does at pretty much anything on the beach in Kaua’i when he is on a leash and other dogs are not. He was letting her know who was dominant and to settle down.
“So, because of what was seen during the evaluation, Jane cannot adopt the little dog because she is “very shy” and has “behavioral issues.”
“Please help us to bring this beautiful, loving “forever friend” home to Jane’s house by this next week :)))”
KHS and Campos decided to try one more time.
Another meet-and-greet was held Monday. This time, the two dogs got along just fine. Campos filled out the adoption papers and will take Minnie, the dog’s new name, home on Saturday.
Minnie is excited, Campos said.
“She acts like she’s a year old,” she said.
Penny Cistaro, KHS executive director, said the first meet-and-greet didn’t go well. The dog isn’t socialized, freezes around people, doesn’t walk on a leash, and won’t come to anyone without another dog being around.
“It’s not a dog that would be easy for us to place,” she said.
When a meet-and-greet doesn’t work the first time, KHS and the potential owner will decide whether there should be a second. In this case, there was. There were different circumstances and different people for the second meet-and-greet and both dogs behaved well. The little dog is still a little pushy, but the older is more tolerant, too, Cistaro said, so they should be good fit at home.
It’s not unusual to give dogs a second chance.
“We do that here all the time,” Cistaro said.
Campos is delighted that Minnie will be coming home this weekend.
“It turned out really good,” Campos said. “It was a happy ending.”
