Once upon a time, a 1-year-old boxer/pit bull mix was at a rural pound with seven other dogs. Unfortunately, the pound only had six fenced pens, so two of the dogs were scheduled to be euthanized due to lack of space. Luckily, Needy Paws Rescue stepped in, rescuing the remaining two dogs before they were euthanized in April 2018. The boxer/pit mix, named Malle at the time, became the organization’s 3,000th rescued dog since its establishment in 2014, earning him a special place in the hearts of the Needy Paws staff.
Not long after, Jason and Lindsay Gallahue were looking to adopt a dog. They had heard about Needy Paws through friends and wanted to go look at their adoptable pups. On their daughter Hayley’s 18th birthday, the Gallahues went to an adoption event at PetSmart and saw a quirky pup with an inquisitive face: Malle.
“We saw him, and my kids immediately loved him,” Lindsay recalls.
Their son, Bryce, saw the brand name Kong on the dog’s cage and thought it was his name. Finding the name fitting, the Gallahues renamed Malle “Kong” and took him home.
They’ve had him for a little more than a month and “couldn’t have asked for a better dog,” Lindsay says. Kong is a social pup who loves to go everywhere with the family. He goes golfing with Lindsay and Jason and will patiently wait in the cart while they play their game. He’s also made friends with the two pit bulls who live next door and loves to play with them. Kong’s even helping Hayley train for going into the Navy, and the two of them go running every night.
The Gallahues only had Kong a few weeks before the Fourth of July came around – a day hated by countless dogs across the country who fear fireworks, inconsolable during their loud booms. However, that wasn’t the case with Kong.
“We took him to see the fireworks, and he just sat next to us in the chair,” Lindsay says. “He’s so sweet, and we haven’t had any problems with him.”
Well … aside from one: Kong chewed up the American flags Lindsay had in her potted plants. But other than that, Kong has snuggled right into the Gallahue family, even worming his way into the bed on the second night after his adoption – and every night since.
The Gallahues are enthusiastic about adopting from Needy Paws and plan to continue supporting the organization through trivia nights and other events.
“Kong is such a good dog,” Lindsay says. “We love that we can take him everywhere with us.”
This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.
Robyn Elizabeth Dexter 