Gatty has lived in a Charlotte area shelter for 5+ years. Will she ever find a home?
Gatlin, who lives at the Humane Society of York County, is sometimes an outdoor girl, up for a swim in her own kiddie pool or a game of catch in a fenced back yard.
Not a fan of children, other dogs or cats, Gatlin — or Gatty as she’s known to her legion of fans — just wants you all to herself. What she’d really love to do is snuggle on the couch and binge the latest Netflix documentary with you.
Sound perfect? Maybe you’re the true love the almost 10-year-old Gatty’s been waiting for. She’s been looking for a home for more than 2,000 days, or 5+ years.
The terrier/cattle dog mix came to the Humane Society from York County Animal Control on Sept. 26, 2017. She was adopted in July 2018, then returned to the Humane Society about two months later for chasing her owner’s cats and snarling at someone in the household — and she has been there ever since, Humane Society Director Megan Prestwood said.
Gatty does have her circle of trust, filled with select staffers and Humane Society volunteers who take her for walks, on joy rides away from the shelter for chicken nuggets or a puppucino, or even for a slumber party at their homes.
“You have to get in her circle,” Prestwood said. “You just have to build that trust with her.”
Building trust with a shelter dog
Donna Hipwell, a shelter volunteer for about six years, took Gatty to her Fort Mill apartment for a weekend recently. Gatty was the perfect house guest — no accidents or barking.
“All she wants to do is lay in your lap and cuddle,” Hipwell said. “She plays with toys, gives kisses. She’s smart, loves car rides — she jumps right in with you. She’s a fun dog, a happy dog. When she sees her people, she gets so excited.”
Bethany Clark, volunteer coordinator for the Humane Society, is also in that circle of trust and sometimes takes Gatty on lunch breaks away from the shelter. She said Gatty needs a person willing to meet her slowly, who doesn’t need a “dog-friendly” dog (no dog parks or brewery visits), and who will give Gatty a chance to bloom — to rest, adjust and feel safe and secure in a new home. This can often take months for adopted dogs.
Dog body language
“When dogs are afraid or unsure of something, they try to get distance,” Clark said. “They do this one of two ways — by either lunging, to ‘bark you away’ or by retreating. Expect them to greet another dog or person when they are on leash, and therefore restrained or unable to get away, and they can become even more fearful. Gatlin falls into the first category in situations where she is unsure or afraid. This can be with people or other dogs.”
Dogs are often reactive in a shelter environment due to the constant activity, stress and noise, and are judged by potential adopters on that behavior alone. Shelter dogs may guard their food, toys or space, but become different dogs in a home environment, Clark said.
“This explains why Gatty has a host of adoring fans — staff and volunteers alike — with whom she feels safe with and she trusts,” she said. “When she gets away from the shelter, the barking, the unpredictability, the smells of other dogs and their emotions, go away and she is able to relax and not be on alert. You can also see this in the way she has adapted to kennel life — her very suite which she will pull you back to when she has had enough of the scary out there.”
Adopting a shelter pet
Great relationships don’t happen overnight, and adopters need to be understanding and patient and realize that adopting from a shelter is a forever decision.
“In our culture, we expect everything to be immediate, anything ‘wrong’ to be fixed with a pill or an app, or a certain device,” Clark said. “In reality, if more people gave dogs a chance to be their doggy selves, if people focused on paying attention to what the dog is telling them with their whole body, and if they made helping their dog feel safe their No. 1 priority, so many more fabulous dogs would be given a chance at the life they deserve.”
Gatty is considered one of the shelter’s “unicorn” dogs — dogs that require a slow introduction, or have special needs like no other pets or kids in the household. And sadly, the Humane Society is home to other unicorns who have been at the shelter for more than a year, like Brett, a retriever mix who loves toys and water, Donut, a pittie mix with the most expressive eyes and ears, and Gracie, who may possibly have the best smile and butt wiggle in the Carolinas.
Prestwood said potential adopters for Gatty will need to visit with her at least three to four times at the Humane Society, and move on to supervised walks with her with a staffer. Her adoption fee is $200 and a home visit is required to make sure she’s a good fit for your household.
Time and patience are what will win over a unicorn dog like Gatty. Prestwood, Hipwell and Clark say the payoff will be,well, magical.
“Someone for Gatty will be a person who is ready to share their life with her, because she is awesome,” Clark said. “Someone who is patient would be ideal. Someone who is looking for the best companion they may ever have.”
To learn more about adopting Gatty or see other adoptable dogs and cats, visit https://humanesocietyofyorkcounty.org/
