Tucker Dean was abandoned at the PAWS Atlanta gate one evening. When our team arrive to bring him into the clinic, though, he was nowhere to be found. He was spotted on our security cameras when he was dropped off, so we knew he had to be there somehwere! It turns out, he was so frightened that he fled from his rescuers and was hiding. It took time, treats, and coaxing, but our team finally managed to catch him in a humane trap.

Tucker Dean took his time opening up. Understandably, he was not quite ready to trust again. After being left to fend for himself, he needed time to recover. He took some time to accept the love of his caregivers, but it wasn’t long before he revealed his sweet self.

While our team worked with him on social skills, he also had several medical problems that needed to be addressed. At 8 years old, he's considered a senior boy, and he had several teeth in bad shape that needed to be removed. He also had heartworms as a result of not being on prevention medication. Thankfully, his resiliency shone through, and within a couple of months, he had healed, physically and mentally, and was ready for adoption.

He is now being spoiled daily in his forever home. His new family discovered that he was pretty responsive to "P" sounds, so his name is now Pepper Tucker Dean. He's learning new tricks and knows how to sit, especially for treats. His mom reports that he is so happy and affectionate! He has a big house to explore, a soft sofa to snuggle on, and a fenced in yard to play in. He also has a big sister named Lulu! Pepper adores her, but she's being a classic older sibling and not quite sure about him yet. His family thinks she'll warm up soon, due to the fact that he follows her everywhere. He's gained some weight and has become much more social.

Pepper now has everything he needs to thrive, safe and sound.

Heroes like you make stories like Pepper's possible. To help provide medications, socialization, and love to shelter animals in need like Pepper Tucker Dean, consider giving to PAWS Atlanta for GAgives on #GivingTuesday.