‘Snuggly’ dog needed home after months in NC shelter — and fast. She was ‘deteriorating’
UPDATE: As of 4:15 p.m. Nov. 7, Diamond the dog found a new home. Iredell County Animal Services in North Carolina had considered putting her down if she remained in the shelter at the end of Nov. 7.
The original story is below.
A “snuggly” dog living at a North Carolina shelter for months needs a new home — and she can’t wait much longer.
So much so, Iredell County Animal Services turned to Facebook to share an “urgent” plea for help. The shelter said it would consider making the difficult decision to euthanize Diamond the dog if she’s still in the facility at the end of Nov. 7.
“Diamond is severely deteriorating both mentally and physically, by simply being in the shelter environment,” the shelter wrote at about 3:30 p.m. Nov. 6. “Due to her experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress, it would be cruel to continue housing her in the same environment which has either caused or has greatly contributed to her decline.”
Diamond has been at the shelter for 115 days, despite its efforts to reach out to rescue organizations and post about her online. She received “no interest” until Nov. 3, when the shelter turned to social media to announce the desperate decline of her and two other dogs in its care.
All three found new places to live, but Diamond eventually came back to the shelter through “no fault of her own.” Another dog at her new home got stressed, even though the two had met each other before her adoption, officials told McClatchy News in an email.
“We had several people visit the shelter looking to adopt her earlier today... PLEASE COME BACK and meet her,” animal services wrote Nov. 6.
Diamond is described as a “snuggly” and “sweet” 8-year-old dog. She tested positive for heartworms and has a mass that may be cancerous.
“Even with these medical issues, Diamond is still a very happy and active girl,” the shelter wrote. “We suspect she will need a hospice home to live out the rest of her days and it will be up to her adopter’s veterinarian as to how to proceed in treatment for her mass, should that be an option or a need.”
The shelter has heard from several people interested in Diamond, and it has asked that only those who are seriously interested in adoption come to visit her in Statesville. She is on anxiety medications but needs a long-term solution, officials said.
“If she is not out of the shelter by end of day 11/7/23, we feel that humane euthanasia will be in the best interest of the animal,” the facility wrote.
Iredell County Animal Services, based roughly 45 miles north of Charlotte, didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Nov. 7.
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