Top 10 Happy Tails of 2023: Meet Ziggy

As 2023 comes to a close, we're taking a look back at all of the lives that we’ve saved thanks to your support. While there are really more than 950 stories we could tell, we've chosen 10 dogs to highlight that include long stays, medical cases, seniors and a newborn puppy. Thank you for making each of these stories possible, and for being part of another amazing year of lifesaving in 2024!

“We told ourselves that we were just going to look…”

Today’s Happy Tails begins with an all-too-familiar beginning for a lot of adopters, but with a bit of a twist when it comes to the story of Ziggy, formerly known as Andru.

Chelsea and Rob were always dog lovers but never wanted to rush the huge decision of adopting a dog; plus, they had an upcoming vacation that would put them out of town for a week. Nevertheless, the thought of warm puppies and wagging tails drew them to our adoption event on one of the coldest days of the year.

Out of all of the pups up for adoption that day, Ziggy was the one that Chelsea and Rob had their eyes on. Something about the puppy drew them in and soon enough they were on their matchmaking stroll. Ziggy immediately showered them with love. He gave them hugs and kisses, permanently cementing his place in their hearts. Chelsea and Rob had fallen in love.

Suddenly faced with a quick and big decision to make, Chelsea and Rob looked towards the logical side of their brains: they knew they couldn’t take Ziggy home today because of their upcoming trip. Ultimately, they said goodbye to Ziggy and went their separate ways.

“For the days that followed, we could not stop thinking about Ziggy.”

Chelsea and Rob couldn’t stop thinking about Ziggy. They considered adopting him after they returned from their trip but knew that there was no guarantee he would still be available.

“It soon became unbearable and we had to call up our amazing friends to ask for a huge favor.”

If there are side lessons to be had here, it’s this: get yourself some friends that will watch your newly adopted puppy for a week while you go on vacation. Chelsea and Rob’s friends, Ralph, Kelsey and Rocco, agreed to watch Ziggy for that first week after they adopted him so that they could scoop up Ziggy and officially have his place in their hearts and lives forever. They immediately emailed MPR and as fate had it, Ziggy was still available.

Ever since then, Ziggy has become an integral piece of their family. His daily routine includes morning snuggles, visits to the dog park to see his best friends, filling the room with his snoring as he takes long naps, and discovering new things in Brooklyn every day. Ziggy recently turned 1-years-old, not only doubling in age but doubling in size… and counting! He continues to work hard on his leash walking, recall and “leave it,” and his favorite things include puppucinos, finding the perfect stick at the park, road trips, and being right next to Chelsea and Rob’s side. Ziggy is the perfect example of never letting life get in the way of finding true love!