Tears flow as quiet dog is last of 10 siblings to be adopted. ‘Incredibly moving’
A quiet dog was overlooked as his nine siblings got homes — then came an emotional adoption.
“There were plenty of tears in our adoption center,” Danielle Deschamps, communications coordinator for a North Carolina animal shelter, told McClatchy News in a July 22 email. “He was the last of his pack to find a home, and watching him finally get his happy ending was incredibly moving for our entire team.”
The Watauga Humane Society said Smuckers Goober Grape got a second chance months after he arrived at the shelter. When Hurricane Helene slammed the Southeast in September, it turned his “family’s life upside down.”
“Smuckers Goober Grape came to us last fall with nine other dogs after their family was displaced by Hurricane Helene,” Deschamps wrote. “They’d lost everything in the storm, including their home, and made the heartbreaking decision to surrender their beloved pets so they could get the care and stability they needed.”
Many of the dogs needed dental care, and some struggled emotionally. But the shelter said Goober’s situation was especially sad.
“While his siblings — social, spunky, ready-for-anything — were quickly adopted, Goober stayed. And stayed. And stayed,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post. “He was the quiet one. The one who flinched at touch, who tucked himself into corners, who seemed to carry the whole storm in his chest. For over 70 days, Goober waited behind the scenes, too fearful to be the dog people notice.”
Then one day, the trembling dog caught the eye of a shelter visitor. She kept meeting with him and brought him to her home, where the pup hid and refused to eat.
“She saw something in Goober — and gave him what he needed most: time, space, and patience,” Deschamps wrote. “After nearly a month at home, he finally allowed her to pet him. From there, the real glow-up began.”
The woman adopted Goober, who has made a “full-blown transformation.” While he still is hesitant around strangers, he’s now known for being “goofy” and snuggly.
“Goober’s story isn’t just a glow-up — it’s a testament. To resilience. To trust,” the animal organization wrote. “To the magic that happens when we give scared dogs 10,000 chances… and then one more.”
The humane society is in the mountain town of Boone, a roughly 85-mile drive west from Winston-Salem.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Tears flow as quiet dog is last of 10 siblings to be adopted. ‘Incredibly moving’."
