BFFs go home together

LET’S FACE IT: A good friendship can make a world of difference. For a shy dog, having a confident canine companion is an important step in reinforcing that things aren’t necessarily as scary as they seem. That’s why timid Fenway was introduced to a hound named Stax.

Sure enough, Stax would go on to help Fenway build her confidence around people and new situations. In return, Fenway helped Stax with his own anxieties. And, just like the best of friends and roommates, they went home together — to Gretchen Hughes’ house, to be exact.

It had been a year and a half since Gretchen had lost her previous pal and, she says, it was finally time. She wanted a dog who would get along with her cat, a 14-year-old feline who missed having a dog around. Gretchen reached out to Best Friends, and Stax was recommended for her because he had lived with cats in the past.

When Gretchen learned about Stax’s buddy, Fenway, she didn’t want to separate them. The single adoption became a double, and the shy dog and the hound went home with her. After getting over the initial shock of gaining two canine housemates, Gretchen’s cat started snuggling with them at bedtime, eventually using Stax as an oversized body pillow. And Fenway took up grooming her new feline friend.

“There’s an incredible synergy,” Gretchen says. “They’re just super sweet. I’m very, very happy I made the choice.” (So are we, Gretchen. So are we.)