A FETCHING YOUNG LAD: Gus, a 2-year-old Anatolian Shepherd mix, smiles in the sunlight on a warm day at Zilker Park. Even though Gus loves to meet new people and dogs, he is very much a couch potato. “He jumps on the bed and snuggles with us, [and] he hangs out on the couch,” McGahon said. “He’s loving and friendly and does not realize that he’s 180 pounds. He just wants to snuggle and sit in your lap.” Photo by Kristen Tibbetts.

Hunt for a home by Halloween

December 11, 2019

Before she passed away, Smith’s friend Neil Ard planned on taking Gus back to his home in New York, but with two dogs already, one of which was not keen on welcoming a new dog into the family, he was unable to bring Gus home. Smith’s daughter, Taylor, was unable to take in Gus because her apartment could not accommodate him, and Smith’s mother, in her 80s, wasn’t able to care for him either. So, Ard and Folger made it their mission to find the best possible home for their best friend’s baby.

“It was really important to find a good home for Gus because he kind of embodies my best friend right about now,” Folger said. “I had intended on bringing Gus home with me, but I have three dogs of my own. I just knew that we wouldn’t be able to give Gus the kind of attention and love that he needed if he came home with me.”

Folger and Ard also had to act fast. Gus was still living at home with Taylor, who was cleaning out Smith’s house, but the pair only had until the end of October until they had to move out. To speed up the process, Folger and Ard decided to send out a blast through a rescue organization specifically for Anatolian Shepherds like Gus.

“We had a few nibbles, but we were going to have to travel him and that made us nervous,” Folger said. “The fact that we would never have access to him ever again was really disconcerting for me and Neil because Gus was her baby, literally her baby, just a piece of Sawyer.”

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Sad news to report. Ms. Folger shared with the faculty via email that her longtime best friend Sawyer recently passed away, leaving behind a dog named Gus, whom Folger described as “a sweet, big ol’ teddy bear of a pup who is in dire need of a forever home or a temporary foster home.” Sawyer’s daughter has been taking care of the dog but needs to return home at the end of October. Folger is hoping to find a permanent or temporary home for Gus by Oct. 31. “If you, or someone you know, might be willing to foster Gus for a few weeks or love him forever, please email ME,” Folger said, “and I will contact our rescue agency. I’ll answer all your questions with full transparency. I just can’t let this sweet boy go into a county shelter. He is a part of my precious friend!” Folger can be reached via email at [email protected]. Photo courtesy of Folger.

A post shared by McCallum Journalism (@macjournalism) on Oct 23, 2019 at 9:16pm PDT

As the Halloween deadline quickly approached, Folger decided to try a new strategy. On Oct. 23, she sent out an email blast to the McCallum faculty asking if anyone could take care of Gus. Soon after, Macjournalism reposted Gus’s story on its Instagram page.

“People just started crawling out of the woodwork wanting Gus, wanting Gus and wanting Gus,” she said.