Abandoned puppies get forever homes

It was love at first sight for Markus Mueri’s family when they met their new puppy Luna at the Humane Society last Saturday.

They immediately adopted the lovable canine and now, Mueri says he cannot imagine his home without Luna’s playful personality.

“She is just one of a kind,” he told Cayman Compass on Wednesday.

The loving home Luna now enjoys is a far cry from the trash heap where she was abandoned in June along with her three brothers.

The four puppies were rescued by Department of Environmental Health workers Dave McLaughlin and Shane Jackson in June when the men stumbled upon the animals discarded along with garbage in East End.

Happy homes

All the puppies now have the comfort of forever homes, three of which are in Grand Cayman and one overseas.

Jackson was the first to adopt one of the puppies, which he named Reign.

He said his pup is doing well and he planned to take her back to the Humane Society for a check up.

Mueri said when he first met Luna, he had no idea she was abandoned in the trash. Knowing that now, he is even more happy she came into his life.

“She has become a family member and she’s very, very beautiful. She has adjusted really well to a lifestyle. She feels like she owns the home right now, so that’s kind of crazy. She is getting used to noises and different things and walking. She’s a very good girl and very smart,” he said.

Mueri, who also owns ABACUS restaurant, said at first he was not sure he wanted another dog, after having had to euthanise his pet last year due to health complications.

“She was the love of my life,” he said; but now with Luna, “Life is amazing again”.

He said she is a special dog and he cannot wait to see what she grows into, as no one is certain of her breed.

Integrating well

Cheryl Birch, who adopted Luna’s brother, now named Hunter, said her family feels complete with the puppy, who integrated well with her older dog Gus.

“They’ve been great for each other. Now Hunter is four times, maybe even five times the size that he was [when we got him]. He’s still a fraction to the size of what Gus is,” she said.

Birch said initially she was not looking to adopt another pet, but she said she was touched when she read about the puppies in the Compass, where she works as sales manager.

She said she visited the Humane Society to see them and was blown away by how adorable they were.

“I’m so grateful for the men that rescued him, and it’s nice to see that people are being prosecuted for the mistreatment of animals. I don’t understand why somebody would do that. They’re beautiful dogs,” she said.

She worried at first if Gus and the new puppy would get along, but they ended up hitting it off right away.

Birch said she was heartbroken over the circumstances the dogs were left in. She urged the community to consider spaying and neutering their animals.

“Dogs now are part of the family, so you have to have that responsibility,” she said. “You have to train them properly, to understand their boundaries and I really do think that the government has a responsibility to step in on spay and neuter and make it almost a law … like a leash law,” she said.

The final puppy, initially named Shane in honour of Jackson who rescued them, was adopted by Samantha Jarvis in the US.

Cayman Islands Humane Society director Saskia Salden, speaking with the Compass on the adoptions, said that the team at the shelter was very happy the puppies found their ‘fur-ever’ homes.

“We want to thank the community for their support but also want to point out the importance of spaying and neutering. It’s a simple procedure that has a huge impact,” she said.

Salden said the shelter receives many unwanted litters, both puppies and kittens, and spaying and neutering pets could reduce these numbers.

The Cayman Islands Humane Society has many more animals seeking a loving home. You can call (345) 949-1461 or email [email protected] for further information.