Pet Besties

Meet the winners of our first America’s Best Pet Pals contest. Warm fuzzies guaranteed!

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RESCUED ANIMALS

Dakota and Indiana

FOR FOUR MONTHS, puppy Indiana miraculously survived in the woods with a shattered shoulder. She’d been mistaken for a wolf and shot while running wild with her mother, Dakota. An animal control officer said they were the most intensely bonded pair he’d ever seen and refused to leave each other’s side, even while trying to evade capture.

As a result of the gunshot, Indiana lost not only her leg but also her mother, as the two were sent to different adoption groups. While Indiana was learning to walk on three legs down south, Dakota was 1,000 miles north in New England. The first family to adopt her returned her two days later. They said she couldn’t bond with humans, kept them up all night, and wasn’t suitable to live in a home.

Dakota found her forever home with me on Long Island. I have experience with Nordic breeds, and Dakota, a husky-malamute mix, just needed attention and someone who understood how to approach her. I always let her come up to me. I gave her the time and space to explore and feel comfortable. She soon let me put a leash on her and would jump onto my bed and lie on the sofa with me.