Thinking Outside the Box: Balto goes home to Nebraska!

Sometimes a fresh perspective and a trip to Las Vegas are just what a person needs to get the creative juices flowing! A trip to the Best Friends Conference in Las Vegas that is.

Mary Jo Cox, a long-time Small Dog volunteer, and Tina Ghering, our dog application manager, attended the annual Best Friends Conference this October to learn about the latest techniques in animal rescue including behavioral training for shelter dogs, ways to increase adoptions creatively, and marketing animals online among many seminars.

During the conference they were able to meet animal rescues from all over the county, including a representative from Taysia Blue Siberian Husky Rescue in Nebraska. At the time of the conference Furkids/SDR had a beautiful husky mix named Balto that was getting little interest in Georgia. So, Mary Jo called her new found friends at Taysia Blue and asked for their assistance in posting this gorgeous boy on their website.

Within two weeks of having him posted on Taysia Blue's website, a family in Nebraska was interested in adopting him. Not only was someone interested, but it was a family with decades of Husky knowledge and experience! They understood the breed, his need to work, his drive, and his ability to jump fences. After completing our application and passing a vet reference check, the family was ready to adopt. But how?

Again, Mary Jo and Tina stepped up to the challenge and arranged to meet the family in Illinois - a nine hour drive for Tina and Mary Jo. "We didn't care about the car ride; we were just happy he found a forever home!" says Mary Jo. After stops in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois, Balto made the journey to his new home in Nebraska.

This story shows how passion, creativity, and persistence can make the difference in an animal's life forever. Thank you to the family that adopted Balto for giving him a wonderful new life, and thank you to two dedicated determined individuals, Mary Jo and Tina, for going above and beyond to find Balto the forever family he deserves. He is pictured below with his new sisters!