Sonsini Shelter's Last Animal 'Knight' Seeking a Kingdom of His Own
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| Knight currently has the shelter to himself. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As the last animal of Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter, Knight is living more like a king.
The under-2-year-old American pit bull mix has the whole shelter as his palace but longs for a forever home. He has been all over social media and done plenty of meet-and-greets but has yet to find the perfect match.
Shelter Manager Noelle Howland is going to ensure that Knight's story ends well. Though the shelter closed to the public on Friday, she will stay there with the pup until he finds an adopter.
Knight is a perfect gentleman on a leash but his exuberance for life sometimes causes him to get rowdy so he must go to a home without kids under 16.
"He's not aggressive and that's his thing. He's not trying to be mean. He's just a puppy," Howland explained.
"So whoever takes him home needs to be able to control that and not let it escalate and training. I think with training he will be so good but we can only do so much here."
So far, he knows how to sit, stay, heel, come, and "drop it." He also accepts treats gently and when excited, gets an incredibly photogenic "pitty smile."
Haddad Hyundai is sponsoring Knight's adoption fees and helping with training costs through Noble Paws Canine Training LLC.
The pup can possibly go to a home with a female dog but not a male dog. Howland's ideal fit would be a single person or a younger to middle-aged couple who can handle his energy and need for structure.
In late July, the shelter's board of directors announced that it would be closing its doors, citing financial constraints and insufficient space.
Soon after, Howland created a GoFundMe page to save the shelter and secure a better building. It has since raised over $50,000 of a $100,000 goal.
About a week after announcing the closure, the board of directors decided to hand leadership over to Howland. She will be continuing the shelter's mission under a different name and is in search of a new building to properly serve the dogs and cats, which is imperative because the current facility cannot meet the animals' needs.
Over the month of August, shelter staff and volunteers worked to get all of the dogs and cats into homes. The shelter will have a tag sale with items that they are not storing until a new location is found.
"Today's our last day here but we will still be here because Knight is here," Howland explained on Thursday.
"So I don't want people to think like we're just getting up and leaving. That was my main thing. I wanted to make sure I could still be here with him."
More information on Knight can be found here. The shelter's GoFundMe page can be found here.
Tags: animal shelter, dogs,
