PORTSMOUTH, Va. — We told you about a Portsmouth foster dog, that goes by Moose, who rescued a family from fire last week and shortly after was adopted by someone else.
He's now back at Portsmouth Humane waiting for his forever home.
He's a Great Pyrenees, and to some in Portsmouth, he's a hero. That's because he alerted a family that a fire was spreading to their houseboat.
Chris Cushna and his family told News 3 the story last week. They said a neighboring houseboat caught fire and Moose, who they were fostering for the night, woke them up and got them to safety before their own boat caught fire and was destroyed.
"Moose definitely saved us on the boat," said Chris.
Someone else was able to take Moose home on an adoption trial the morning after the fire, but it turned out to not be a good fit.
"It is very common for someone who takes a pet home as temporary foster to say this is not the right fit for us," said Dyanna Uchiek, executive director at Portsmouth Humane.
Dyanna Uchiek with Portsmouth Humane added that there's no judgment.
"We just want to work with people and make sure everyone finds the right fit. Because if they come back after a few days in foster care that person can say, 'they really love squeaky toys. They're great in the car. They're housebroken,'" Uchiek said.
Why didn't the foster family take Moose home?
"The foster family never intended to keep him forever. Bringing a dog home from the shelter just to give them an overnight or a few hours out of the shelter is a great opportunity for them to reset and relax from being a shelter dog," Uchiek said.
The family said they plan to foster again but weren't able to keep a large dog full time.
That means that Moose, Moose's friend Didgie, and many others at Portsmouth Humane, are up for adoption.
"Our shelter has been struggling with cats and dogs for several months. We have no open cages for dogs. We have few open cages for cats. And we still continue to receive requests," explained Uchiek.
Staff said they're always looking for good people to foster or adopt.
The family Moose rescued had been fostering Moose as part of the Paws Around P-town program where people can take a shelter dog on a "field trip" for a few days to help the pet get adopted.
If you would like to adopt Moose, or any pets at the Portsmouth Humane Society, click here.
