In January 2024, an overwhelmed caregiver, unable to keep up the care of their dogs, surrendered 11 small dogs to the ASPCA. After being removed from the home, all the dogs were brought to the ASPCA Adoption Center in New York City to receive medical and behavioral care and evaluations to determine if they were ready for adoption. During the evaluations, it was noted that a few of the dogs, including 2-year-old Ireland, were very fearful of new people and places, cowering in their crates when humans came near.

These types of behaviors are not uncommon with animals who come from overcrowded homes, and in order to better help Ireland with her fear, we transferred her (along with the other fearful dogs in her group) to the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC) in Weaverville, North Carolina. The BRC* is a specialized facility dedicated to providing behavioral rehabilitation for severely fearful, unadoptable dogs, such as those confiscated from puppy mills and hoarding situations.

When Ireland arrived at the BRC, it was clear to our staff that she was extremely stressed out in her kennel, so much so that she would injure herself and wouldn’t sleep. She was also fearful of cars and walking in new places.

That’s when Kelly Kidd, Volunteer and Foster Manager at the BRC, stepped up to help. Kelly offered to foster Ireland, that way, she wouldn’t have to be in a kennel, and they could work together on her other fears.

During their time together, Kelly found that Ireland was highly food motivated and loved other dogs, so she used both to get Ireland more comfortable around the things she feared.

“Because she loved them so much, we ‘used’ our other dogs to show her that going in the car and on walks could be fun,” explained Kelly. “We were also able to reinforce brave behaviors and create positive associations with the scary stuff using her favorite treats like pupperoni, chicken jerky, canned food and cheese.”

Ireland with Kelly’s resident dogs.

When Ireland wasn’t working through her fears, she was a complete “cuddle bug.”

“She liked to worm into blankets,” said Kelly. “When she started to do it, we’d say, ‘oohh, she’s worming again!’ She wanted to cuddle up next to us all the time in the beginning. When she settled in and, after a few days, got used to the household, she became very playful with my dogs and would run, wrestle and play for hours at a time. Then, they would all cuddle up for rest times with us.”

Thanks to Kelly’s hard work during this foster period and the work of our BRC staff, Ireland graduated from the BRC program in just three weeks and was officially ready to find a loving home. While she waited to find an adopter, she stayed in foster with Kelly.

“We seriously considered adopting Ireland because she was amazing with my other dogs and just loved us so much but decided that we wanted to be able to continue fostering and adding another dog to the household would make that difficult,” Kelly told us. “But meeting her adopter and knowing she was going to such a lovely person was a real gift!”

Susan S. decided that she wanted another dog by her side after losing her beloved Chihuahua-mix. That’s when she spotted Ireland’s photo online.

“That May, my daughter helped me search and we saw Ireland’s picture on the ASPCA website,” explained Susan. “After reading about her, we arranged a meet and greet at the BRC.”

Susan felt a connection to Ireland instantly and decided to adopt her that very day.

Marking the new chapter in her life, Susan changed Ireland’s name to Junie B.

When first arriving home, Junie B was quite anxious and nervous, which was to be expected given Junie B’s history. But she soon realized that her new home with Susan was a safe place, and began getting more comfortable day by day.

“Over the next 10 weeks she blossomed and has become a much-loved member of our family,” said Susan. “Junie B brings a lot of joy to our lives. I love waking up to that sweet face and wagging tail. She enjoys sunning on the back porch, cuddles on my lap, zoomies in the den and playing chase with our other dog, Roo. She has found her forever home.”

By adopting Junie B, Susan became part of what we call The Rescue Effect. When you adopt one animal from a shelter, you’re not just changing that animal’s life, you’re also helping to create much-needed space for another animal to get lifesaving care and find a family of their very own. The Rescue Effect creates a ripple effect across the country’s shelter system, affecting the lives of countless vulnerable animals.

You can join The Rescue Effect and help create more new beginnings for animals like Junie B. by adopting or fostering a dog or cat of your own! Visit aspca.org/therescueeffect to learn more about how you can participate today.