Rule of threes helps adopters prepare for new pets | Feature Columns

When Nitro arrived at Aiken County Animal Shelter, he was scared and full of nervous energy. Picked up as a stray, the cute 1-year-old, 41-pound mixed breed had a microchip. However, when the owner was identified and contacted, they didn’t pick Nitro up. Instead, they surrendered the cute, black pup with a pouty face and stubby tail to the shelter.

Understandably, Nitro had a difficult time adjusting to his shelter kennel. While stellar and happy when running with other dogs in playgroup and going on walks with volunteers, he paced frantically in his kennel and barked fearfully at visitors.

However, Nitro did catch the eye of one person who found themselves drawn to the trouble pup.

“I watched him get overlooked by adopters because he did not show well in the kennels,” said Lisa Gaudet, who is an adoption assistant at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. “I knew there was something special about him. So, I took him home as a foster one night.”

In her home, Nitro calmed down considerably and embraced crate training. He was on his best behavior and to her surprise, Lisa thought about adopting him.

“Nitro is afraid of loud noises, so the shelter was very scary to him and caused anxiety,” Lisa said. “This made it hard to focus and pay attention to the volunteers or potential adopters. But in my home, Nitro was able to focus, relax, sit and wait patiently for things.”

Despite this successful visit, Lisa had just moved into a new home and her adult sons weren’t sure if they were ready to accept Nitro as a permanent pet. So, Lisa brought Nitro back to 333 Wire Road but continued to work with him at the shelter.

Within days of returning him, Nitro was adopted. While happy for him, Lisa immediately missed Nitro and told her sons that if he was ever returned, she would adopt him on the spot.

Just two days later, Nitro was returned for being “too much dog” for his adopters to handle. That night, Lisa took Nitro home for good.