Pima Animal Care Center is more than just a temporary shelter between new homes. It’s a resource center for pets and the people who love them. To save as many pets as possible, every one of the over 12,600 pets that come through PACC’s doors every year must be seen and treated as an individual. Each pet that arrives at the shelter has a unique set of needs to meet to give that pet the best chance possible at a bright future. Thanks to the thousands of donors, volunteers, fosters, and staff, the shelter is able to give each pet the care they deserve.  

Athena is a beautiful young dog that needed behavioral support when she arrived at the shelter. The only interaction she’d had with other dogs was with her litter mates and so she didn’t understand the cues and corrections that other dogs gave. Her interactions during meet and greets with potential adopters and other dogs didn’t go well and more time went by without a successful match. 

Thanks to skilled intervention from the shelter’s behavioral team and the Friends of PACC Playgroup Specialist Athena went from seeking conflict to engaging in and initiating social play. Without this individualized care Athena wouldn’t have had the chance to find the loving home she deserved. Her modified behavior made it possible for a new foster home to take her in, fall in love, and adopt! 

Friends of PACC caught up with her family and asked them to share a few things about Athena. 

How is Athena doing at home? She's doing great and has fit in so well with our family […] we absolutely love her. She is spoiled every day. She has become a much more confident dog and her training is going really well.  

What your favorite thing about Athena? Our favorite thing about her has always been and still is, her floppy ears. She does this stretch each morning or after a nap where she throws her head all the way back and flips her ears out. When she's walking, her ears flap up and down like little bird wings. Plus, they feel like velvet and we love to scratch them.  

What has Athena brought to your life? So much joy! My fiancée and I lost our golden doodle to cancer a few years before we got Athena. A house without a dog is just not as fun and it completely changes the dynamic once you get a dog. Our days revolve around Athena and we look forward to our daily walks. If we are sad or have a bad day, we can just go pet Athena. She is always happy to see us and she can instantly bring you out of a bad mood. 

Why did you choose to foster? I had just finished PA school and wasn't really ready to adopt a dog because I did not know what my first job would be like and if I would have time for a dog. We decided to foster because there wasn't any pressure and we felt like it would be a great idea to get one of the long stay dogs out of the shelter and into a structured routine. So we got set up with Athena. I remember when we first walked into the foster office and saw her and we both looked at each other like "[…]what have we gotten ourselves into!". But then we went up to Athena and although she was chewing furiously on her rawhide bone, she instantly started wagging her tail when you got close to her. And when she first got in our car, she immediately started licking us from the back seat.  

When did you decide to adopt? We started trying to get her adopted by posting on social media, reaching out to friends, and answering emails from interested adopters. After about 2-3 weeks I really started falling in love with her and was getting really sad at the idea of her getting adopted and going to another family. I lost a lot of sleep and weighed the options and finally realized that the best home for Athena was with us. Adopting her was honestly one of the best decisions we've ever made. We hope that more people will read our story and realize that fostering/adopting can be such a rewarding experience. 

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