Last Sham Standing: The True Tail of Carl

Meet Chuck (hooman) and Carl (pup).

Carl was one of the 350+ dogs rescued April 2017 from the horrific neglect case in Habersham County. Carl was living outside in a kennel with four other dogs, badly matted with rotting teeth and a severely infected eye.

Carl wound up being one of the dogs who landed at the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia (HSNEGA). Our team took great care of Carl, and he was one of the first Habersham (or just “Sham”) rescues to find a home when he was adopted about one month after arriving at our door.

Sadly, Carl was returned 4 months later by his adopter. When he came back to HSNEGA, Carl was, well, a mess. He didn’t like anyone or anything. Except for Erica, our Animal Care Manager. He snapped at our team. He bared his teeth (though a few less than before!). He was not a happy camper.

Then, right after the holidays, Carl’s angel arrived in the form of Chuck. If you look in the dictionary under “good guy,” Chuck’s photo is there. A dedicated supporter of HSNEGA and the dad of three rescues, including another Sham pup, Chuck had followed Carl’s story and asked if he could foster Carl and see if he could help him.

So Carl went home with Chuck. And Carl was a handful. But Chuck persisted. HSNEGA asked Angie Woods with U.S. Canine if Carl could enter her “doggie rehab” program, and she said yes. And Chuck stayed the course. He trained with Carl and Angie, and Carl returned to Chuck’s home when done with his “therapy” to continue his rehab.

Last week, Chuck brought Carl in for his annual exam. It had been a year since Carl was first adopted and he had long been the “last Sham standing” (the last Habersham dog waiting for a new family). And Dr. Feroli said Carl looked great. And Carl acted great. And we told Chuck he was great. We asked Chuck about making Carl a permanent part of his family, but Chuck’s wife was on the fence.

Then, that night, after seeing how much Carl and Chuck had bonded, our day/week/month was made when Chuck told us his wife said yes, Carl could become a part of their family! There were a few hoots and a few tears. Hoots of happiness for Carl. Tears of gratitude for Chuck. THANK YOU, Chuck, for being an incredible person and for giving Carl the incredible gift of a true forever family. We cannot wait to witness your continued journey together!

HSNEGA could not save troubled, injured, and sick rescues like Carl without the help of foster families like Chuck who step up to help rescues in their time of greatest need. We currently are looking for foster families to join our roster of lifesavers. To learn more, visit HSNEGA.org/volunteer/foster.