Dog with quirky name finds home after 500 days in shelter. ‘See you later, Alligator’
A dog named Alligator spent 508 days at a Georgia shelter.
Now, the “resilient” pup is going home.
Dekalb County Animal Services posted about the sweet send off on its Facebook page Tuesday, Aug. 6, as shelter staff said goodbye to one of its longest residents.
“Before he left the shelter, we held him for just a few more precious moments to say our heartfelt goodbyes,” the shelter wrote. “Seeing him finally get the chance to start a new life was incredibly emotional for our team. These were not crocodile tears.”
“This goes without saying: we’ll see you later, Alligator, but we’re so happy to see what’s next!”
Alligator had a “rough” start and ended up at the shelter through a court case, staff said in an earlier Facebook post, adding that he was “possibly deaf.”
He’s since found a home with Braveheart Bulliez, a foster-based rescue in Roswell.
“Sweet boy is on his freedom ride all the way to his temporary foster before going into training to help him become the best Gator he can be!!!” the group said on Facebook.
‘The absolute sweetest’
Alligator was 10 months old when he arrived at DeKalb County Animal Services after he was seized in an animal cruelty case, Krystle Carrara, board co-chair at Braveheart Bulliez Rescue, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
The case was resolved, but Alligator remained at the shelter for nearly a year and a half. With the facility facing severe overcrowding, he ended up on the euthanasia list.
Alligator “seems like he’s the absolute sweetest,” Carrara said. “We’re just beyond thrilled that we could save his life. We can hopefully give him the treatment, the care and the training he needs to go live a happy life.”
So what’s next?
For now, Alligator is living with a foster family and receiving medical treatment until he’s healthy again, Carrara told McClatchy News. He’ll then undergo training and evaluations to prepare him for a permanent home.
He has a long road ahead but will eventually be ready for adoption.
“Alligator seemed to have been failed time and time again,” Carrara said. “That’s where we stand ... to be a voice for those voiceless animals, and were just so happy that we were able to save him.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Dog with quirky name finds home after 500 days in shelter. ‘See you later, Alligator’."