A happy ending for George

No more mean streets. No more doggie jail. No more future of uncertainty.

"George" the dog finally has a home.

"George is just a dream," Deborah Rose said Wednesday. "He is the sweetest little guy. He trusts me."

 The Press reported on his dire situation in August and shared an update a few weeks later.

The Akita-shepherd mix was most likely dumped near the Coeur d'Alene Public Golf Club about four years before he was finally caught last summer by animal control. He scavenged and ran around with other dogs, sometimes accepting food from residents in the golf course area where he and his dog pals were frequently seen.

Christie Wood and her family, who live in the neighborhood, would often feed George and his little dog buddy, "Lucky." Both dogs were difficult to capture.

After much effort, George was finally trapped and taken to Companions Animal Center, where a dog trainer worked with him to help him acclimate to people. Some were concerned he was a runner or aggressive and he faced the possibility of being euthanized.

But he proved to be a very good boy.

"When I first saw George, it's hard to describe," Rose, a Kootenai County resident, said. "He let me pet him, I was rubbing my face on his, he didn't show any aggression. It was kind of like he was saying, 'Who are you lady?' He wanted to trust but he was a bit cautious."

Rose read George's Press articles and kept thinking about him, locked away at the shelter. She couldn't rescue him right away because she had a few elderly little dogs that were needing love in their final days, but once they passed, her thoughts returned to George.

"My heart just ached for poor George," Rose said.

George has been at the Rose household for a week and is settling right in.

"You could tell he was a street dog because the first thing he did was find all my trash cans," Rose said with a chuckle.

George has gained weight, he's learning commands and he has a new best friend, a 4-year-old German shepherd named Barron.

"They roughhouse and they play. They’re the best buds," Rose said. "George has already learned how to sit, stay and come, all within a week!"

It turns out Lucky, not George, was the runner of the bunch. Soon after George was captured, Lucky gave up his street life and became part of the Wood family.

"He has transformed from a very frightened, fleeing animal, into a sweet, loving, happy dog," Wood wrote in a Dec. 7 guest opinion in The Press.

George is about 6 or 7 years old, the perfect age for Rose, who has previously adopted senior dogs and knows they can make the best additions to families with older members.

She said she hopes George's story encourages people to consider adopting shelter dogs and stop buying puppies from puppy mills.

"I knew George needed a good loving home," she said. "That’s what motivated me."

    George, a dog that roamed the streets with other dogs for four years, is happy in his new home after being adopted a week ago. He is seen here with his new best friend, Barron.
  

    Deborah Rose with her German shepherd, Barron, and Akita-shepherd mix George. She adopted George after he spent time at Companions Animal Center, where he stayed once he was caught by animal control last summer, putting an end to his years living on the streets.