Adoption Update: Ari, now Archie, & Whiskey

Ari and Whiskey found their way to the Sanctuary in the midst of the pandemic after their owner sadly passed away. The woman fostered dogs, and as many of us know that have fostered animals, she loved Ari and Whiskey so much and found herself adopting the pair of “foster fails”. Ari, a 9 year old Beagle/Pug mix, and Whiskey, a 7 year old Lab mix, formed a deep brotherly bond in her home and became inseparable. The woman also owned another dog named Ragan, who was also invited to come to the Sanctuary. Being a blind 8 year old with some medical issues, the family let us know that Ragan always much preferred her own space and peace away from the more energetic boys of the house. We realized Ragan deserved to be the princess of her own castle in her future home, while the boys needed to be in a home together.

It didn’t take long for Ari and Whiskey to steal the hearts of staff and volunteers at the Sanctuary. Whiskey was a silly goofball that loved affection and play time. He loved meeting all of his new friends and thoroughly enjoyed the attention he was getting! Being a bit older, Ari was definitely more self-reliant, but he quickly bonded to a couple of people showing his sweet, kind side behind his stoic stature. This of course only made us try even harder to be in Ari’s “favorite people circle”! The dog team would take the two out on paired walks, but also took them out for solo walks so they can gain independence from one another. After excelling in training class and given a clean bill of health, there was nothing else holding back Ari and Whiskey to start the next chapter of their lives in a home!

Much to no one’s surprise, the dynamic duo gained immediate attention and we quickly had a family interested in the two! They’ve been looking for a pair of dogs since the beginning of the pandemic, but was finding it difficult to do so and decided to wait a bit until the right match came along. The family did have an older dog named Lucy, though she mostly stayed at the grandmother’s house throughout the week. Luckily, Ari and Whiskey have lived with another senior sweetie sister! During the meet and greet, each boy met the family and Lucy separately to not overwhelm her. Lucy was a bit taken back by friendly, goofy Whiskey, but he was very respectful and made sure to give Lucy space when she needed it. Next up was Ari who also did a great job of greeting and interacting with Lucy. Finally, it was time for both boys to come out and head to a play yard to see if the trio would work. Lucy certainly was a brave girl meeting both outgoing boys, but she did so well and even showed a liking to Ari! The family wanted to move forward with the adoption and welcome these boys in their home!

The pair transitioned so well into their new home and new backyard! Ari’s name is now Archie, which seemed much more fitting for the Puggle mix. Their mom and dad have been taking them to classes and are so grateful for how well this mismatched pair matched so well with their family! They love cuddling with the boys on the couch, watching TV. Though they sometimes have to turn the volume up because of Archie’s snoring! During our post-adoption follow up, here’s what their mom had to say about Archie and Whiskey:

“Whiskey and Archie are doing fantastic! Our life revolves around them and we can’t wait to come home from work to snuggle and play with them every day.  My daughter Erika took really nice picture on her professional camera and I will have her send some to you- they are of the boys under the Christmas tree.”

Another wonderful, happy-ending in the books!