A dog has finally found his happy ending after spending over 700 days in an animal shelter.
Gumbo the coonhound now lives with owner Don Cowan and his wife, who adopted the pup from the Carteret County animal shelter in North Carolina at about a year old.
“When his picture was posted on their site many people came to look at him, but he was extremely shy and afraid, and he would have nothing to do with any strangers,” Cowan told Newsweek. “One couple drove seven hours to get him, but they decided not to get him because of his refusal to respond to them.”
Since he was put outside in a pen with pit bulls who barked constantly, Gumbo’s fear of loud noises meant that his time at the rescue drove him deeper into fear and depression.
Don Cowan
“The shelter personnel tried their best to help socialize him and would walk him a couple of times a day, but if they met anyone along the walk, he would cower away,” said Cowan. “All this continued for two years, and we are extremely grateful to the staff for not giving up on him. They told us that he just needed someone to believe in him—and they were right.”
The family already had three other dogs, a miniature American Eskimo, a Pomeranian, and another hound—all of which were rescue dogs. While the little dogs would play together, the hound was often left out and they decided another larger dog would be a good addition to their pack.
“When we saw the picture of Gumbo, we immediately went to see him,” said Cowan. “He was terrified of us, especially me, so I let my wife work with him.”
After around two hours, Gumbo had started to lean up against her leg but still wouldn’t look at either of them. When he took a treat out of her hand, the rescue staff was amazed.
“We decided to take a chance on him and took him for a one-week trial,” he explained. “By the end of the first day, we were already in love with him so we made plans to officially adopt him.”
Don Cowan
At first, Gumbo wouldn’t even enter the house and had to be carried over the threshold. But before long, he settled into his new home, making friends with the resident cats, and quickly became close with the family’s other hound, Gracie.
“They run and play together, taking turns chasing each other and wrestling together. That worked out perfectly,” said Cowan. “Within a couple of months, his personality really came out. He became outgoing and very friendly to the neighbors and to visitors to our home.”
After a difficult start, Gumbo is now happily living with his loving family and has really come out of his shell.
“He is so sweet and loving, and you can tell that he WANTS to please us. Usually, one reprimand is all that it’ll take to end any unwanted behavior, but he does have to be frequently reminded not to try to eat the kitty’s food—that’s just too tempting,” said Cowan.
A big fan of toys and a passion for the outdoors, Gumbo can often be found looking for squirrels or birds when on walks.
“Seeing his eyes and excitement when he hears the dog food bag crinkling, the frantic wagging of his tail when he’s happy—he makes us feel so loved,” Cowan said. “We’re just so happy that we took the chance to believe in him. He’s a terrific and wonderful boy.”
