Chico the dog is once again looking for a home.
The three-year-old pit bull mix has had a rough year. Last July, his owner Shawn Jack was severely beaten and left for dead in a wooded area behind a grocery store in North Sydney, N.S.
Chico lived at the SPCA in Sydney after the attack and then spent some time at a doggy daycare in Porters Lake and with Jack’s family before being adopted a few days ago.
However, the dog is now back in the care of the Sydney SPCA.
“Unfortunately, despite everyone’s best intentions, the home that he went to just wasn’t the right fit for everybody,” says Hannah McIlveen, animal care supervisor at the Sydney SPCA. “So now he’s back looking for a home that will be the right fit.”
Monty Crawley is the manager of the Sydney SPCA. He says adopters are chosen based on the best fit for the dog and the adopter, not on a first-come, first-served basis.
“We are just hoping that this person walks through the door and says this is my dog,” says Crawley.
Crawley has been with Chico since day one and says all of the moving around has had an impact on the dog.
“With Chico, he’s definitely going through some anxiety issues. I believe he just doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s probably wondering where his owner is,” says Crawley.
Shawn Jack remains in hospital and will likely have to live in an assisted care home for people with brain injuries, leaving him unable to care for Chico.
McIlveen says the bond the two shared is unique, and Chico doesn’t like being left alone. When he was with Jack, the pair were together 24/7.
“Bonding with an individual person or a couple of people is really important. He really needs that bond more than any other animal here. Some dogs are more independent. He’s definitely more of a love bug, he wants to be with someone all the time if he can,” says McIlveen.
Last week, 26-year-old Kyle William Nichol was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his part in jack's beating. He is one of six people charged in the assault.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore
