The 12 Dogs of Christmas: Meet Junior, Looking for a Family for 3 Years

Lookin’ for love! Meet Junior!

It’s the holidays! The time of year for families to gather together to celebrate traditions, share old memories, and make new ones. This year, as you surround yourself with family and friends, both two-legged and four-legged alike, remember there are millions of dogs in shelters, patiently waiting for a family of their own.

For some, this won’t be their first, second, or even their third Christmas behind bars.

It’s our Christmas wish that every __dog in rescue would find a home for the holidays, so we’ve selected 12 special dogs from around the country that have been overlooked time and time again. Some are senior dogs, some have special needs, and some are passed over for reasons we simply can’t understand – but, they all deserve to spend the holidays with a family of their own.

We’re calling this the 12 Dogs of Christmas. The Dogington Post along with our friends at Wellness Natural Pet Food have joined forces to introduce you to 12 needy dogs in hopes that they’ll finally get noticed…and maybe get a home for the holidays!

Meet Junior!

Name of Shelter or Rescue Organization: The Princess Buttercup Foundation, Williamstown, NJ

Age: 7 years old

How long at shelter/rescue: About 3 years

Type/Size/Sex: Pit Bull/Bulldog, 70 lbs, Neutered Male

Likes: Food, playing in the baby pool or in the lake, chewing on his bones, cuddling, sleeping in his __dog bed, going on walks, walking through the woods, sunbathing, smelling the fresh air, chasing squirrels, and playing with his toys.

Dislikes: Cats and city-living.

Junior has been waiting to find his forever home for almost 3 years. His rescuer explains, “I’ve never met a dog more patient than Junior. It almost breaks my heart that he has been so content and able to adapt to several different environments (the shelter he came from, 4 different kennels, 2 different foster homes, and now at our new private, rescue center).

“I’ve known him for almost 3 years now. He was super sick when I picked him up from the shelter. He was neutered while he had kennel cough, which seemed to make him even more sick! He was urinating blood and his white blood count was extremely high. After a month or so, he was finally back to good health.

“He was fairly aloof and it took him a few months to open up to me and show me any bit of personality. He was pretty anxious, too. He wouldn’t even play with toys! Teaching him tricks and commands with treats is what bonded us together. I’ll never forget the first time he gave me a lick on my face… something I never thought would happen. Just recently, I noticed him wagging his tail on walks. I’ll never know what happened to Junior prior to PBF saving him from deathrow, but I do know he has made so much progress and really come out of his shell. And I just hope that someone will come along one of these days and take Junior into their home… forever.”

Junior was rescued from a county shelter. According to his paperwork he had been surrendered due to landlord issues. His time was running out at the shelter, and even though The Princess Buttercup Foundation were at their limit, they accepted him into the rescue, anyway. They just couldn’t resist that droopy tongue!

Junior is reaching almost 7 years old, weighing about 70 pounds (he’s a little overweight, but on a diet). This boy is so fun and goofy. We’re not exactly sure of his breed, but he has a lot of the same qualities (physical and personality-wise) as English Bulldogs — he’s an entertaining knucklehead!

Junior is a very smart boy and knows all his basic commands, some tricks, but occasionally pulls on the leash. He likes some dogs, but isn’t too thrilled about cats. He is house-broken and crate-trained. He’s in good health, aside from having some allergies, and he’s vaccinated, neutered, microchipped, and on heartworm and flea/tick prevention.

Special Considerations: Junior is reactive to dogs and cats. A fenced yard is convenient and Junior would absolutely love that, but it’s not a requirement. Junior needs a patient, calm owner who can help him with his slight fear of strangers. Junior has allergies that seem to be triggered by food. He’s on a lamb and rice diet which we ask that his adopters keep him on as this is the only food he’s done the best with (it’s also affordable).

Junior’s Perfect Family: The perfect family for Junior would be one that is fairly quiet with no young kids (he’s not aggressive, but kids seem to make him anxious). He’d most likely do best as the only pet unless his owner is SUPER patient and could slowly introduce him to their dog (if they have one already). He’s semi-active, but can also be a couch potato, so he’s down for anything! He needs some time to open up and let his personality shine, so someone who could go at his pace and do lots of positive reinforcement with him, especially while adapting to his new home, would be excellent!

Junior will soon face his fourth Christmas without a family all his own.

Does Junior seem like the perfect fit for your family? Here’s how to begin the adoption process:

For more information about Junior, email Valerie at [email protected] or visit www.princessbuttercupfoundation.org to learn more and fill out an adoption application.

Princess Buttercup Foundation’s priority is to match potential adopters with the right dog. They do not push dogs or make our adopters feel like they have to keep a dog they adopt if it truly isn’t the right match.

To help with this, they let you do a 2-week sleepover with one of our dogs to see if the dog is the right match for you.

Valerie explained, “the six years I’ve been running this rescue we have yet to have a returned adoption *knock on wood* and we’ve always been available to counsel our adopters whenever a problem arises. We are committed to the dogs we rescue, even after adoption.

The adoption fee for Junior is $200, but can negotiate this fee if the right home is available for him. Junior is fully vaccinated, spayed/neutered, current on flea/tick and heartworm prevention, and receives annual blood testing. Any known health issues will always be shared with adopters upfront. The organization does do home checks, which include bringing the dog to your home so they can check it out and get a feel for it. They prefer adopters to live in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, but this is not a requirement.

Will Junior finally find his forever with you?

The great folks at Wellness Natural Pet Food have a mission to help you provide your pet a healthy, happy, long life through the power of natural nutrition. With that goal in mind, they’re making a generous donation of premium pet food to each rescue that’s cared for these amazing dogs for so long. And, if you adopt one of our “12 Dogs of Christmas,” they’ll send you 3 months worth of food for your newest furry family member, too!

About Wellness:

At Wellness®, we do whatever it takes to create the healthiest foods for the pets that depend on us. Food feeds their souls, sustains their lives and protects their bodies. That’s why our diverse team of animal lovers, nutritionists and vets has only one mission: To help you provide your pet a healthy, happy, long life through the power of natural nutrition. For each of our recipes we never compromise—selecting nature’s finest ingredients and combining them in exact proportions to help support your pet’s health and wellbeing. Because we’re passionately picky from the first step to the last, we guarantee our products will deliver the Wellness Promise.