Local celebrity pup Funny Bones left the internet smitten when he went up for adoption and now he has his forever home.
Cape Town, South Africa (16 April 2024) – DARG shared that Funny Bones was up for adoption in January 2024 and started the search to find him a loving home. His slightly different face and personality instantly earned him several fans and everyone started networking to find his perfect match.
The plea was for a family who could cater to his special personality, to either adopt or provide a long-term foster home. Supporters of DARG flooded the inbox wanting to offer Funny Bones (FB) a home and so the process began to find the perfect fit.
Some of his quirks include that he loves to dig, is very ball and prey focused (making homes with cats unviable) and has athritus so ne needed a single storey home with a spacious garden. DARG also stressed that the process of rehoming Funny Bones would be a slow one due to his high cortisol levels and being anxiety-prone.
Funny Bones even shared his own bio in the hope of finding a family:
“If you were ever laughed at as a child, then you know how I feel. I look a bit different but my toofies are just the way I was born. I have been at DARG for so many years and don’t know why no one wants me. Lots of cat owners like me but the thing is I really don’t like cats! Sorry for that. But I am the most loveable, cuddliest, goofiest boy at the shelter. I play with sticks, toys and balls like a puppy even though I’m a senior boy now. I will be fine with a nice female pooch I can hang out with and I like children too. Please give me a chance so that I can make you smile every day.” – Funny Bones
Faustina Gardner, the Managing Director of DARG, shared with Good Things Guy, that when Funny Bones was young, he was stabbed and that was how he ended up at the shelter with them. Growing up in the shelter was tough and he grew frustrated often.
“Some dogs simply don’t cope when they are confined in an enclosure or room and if dogs are fence fighting or barking at one another, this leads to a great deal of frustration being built up. In turn, this can lead to a dog going for his mate. He was then housed alone due to his behaviour. Funny Bones became obsessed with sticks and balls as his way of coping with shelter life. He was also a big digger. He loved his walks and romps in the river. He had volunteers who worked with him and helped him decompress but the kennel environment was not ideal for him.”
Over the years, whenever a family fell in love with Funny, they also always had pet cats at home. DARG ran extensive tests and Funny just couldn’t be homed with a cat. So his potential adopters always moved on and so he sat waiting, year after year.
“Serious adopters over the years funnily enough pretty much all had cats and careful cats test indicated he definitely could not be homed with a cat as he has a very strong prey drive. We often wonder what it was about him that made cat owners so taken with him.”
His recent adoption appeal was shared globally and he even had interest from families in Canada and Australia! One family stood out and the process was started.
“DARG followed the guidance of the behaviourists who assist DARG. They recommended a slow introduction to life outside of DARG. They also suggested he be homed locally so as to avoid adding to the stress of all the changes he would be facing. When a couple contacted us indicating they had recently lost their dog and were considering fostering FB, we felt they would be the perfect parents for him.
They were unfazed by the digging and had the time needed to help him settle in. Because he had become reactive with other dogs he met at the shelter, homing him where he was the only dog was advised. While a dog’s cortisol levels go down, he can often exhibit unwanted behaviour and not having another dog in the mix ensured he would be able to settle in slowly.”
The home check went well and the family, who have opted to remain anonymous, started with visits and sleepovers to slowly get Funny Bones settled and used to them. The process took several weeks and had a few teething moments but Funny settled in well.
After two months, it was safe to say that Funny had found his place. The team where thrilled with the successful placement, especially because it was one of the more complex rehomings.
“We are thrilled to bits. We miss his cheeky, quirky, endearing personality and of course that smile of his. Having said this, he has found the best parents who are meeting his mental and physical needs daily. The DARG Team can’t thank them enough for giving him a chance and for loving him the way they do. We are also indebted to ALL the individuals that shared his post on Facebook. We will never know who it was that was instrumental in his parents seeing his post on Facebook but it gives us hope for other dogs at DARG.” – Faustina Gardner, DARG Managing Director
Funny Bones the Celebrity
With so many people wanting to know about Funny and his journey, his adoptive family started an Instagram page to highlight his journey. We connected with his new mom and she shared how things are going now that he is settled in at home.
“After the initial minor hiccups with his anxiety and being unsure about us (I’m not certain, maybe he felt we were going to take him back) he settled fairly well. He’s become the boss. He’s accepted the environment as his own and become fairly paws-on with taking things in his stride.”
His mom shared that after the loss of their beloved family dog who was 15-years-old, they felt compelled to give a senior dog a loving home. When Funny’s face popped up, they were smittened. As for Funny, he has really started love his new life and has many favourites.
“He loves having people to follow and play with. Sleeping close to me can be considered a firm favourite. Waking me up in the morning with his infamous smile and tail wag, and a few minutes later, sticking his face in mine to say “oh hi, I’m awake. We should all wake up” 🤭🤭🤭”
“I wanted a senior dog to foster to show them the love we were able to give my boy when he was with us. I’d love to get another; however, the process with shelter dogs is somewhat different to getting a puppy, and the reaction of the current dog is very important to introducing another dog to the same space.”
With starting his Instagram account, it was a two-fold. The first being a means to update all his fans and the second to help advocate for senior dogs who are waiting to be adopted.
“He’s a very entertaining little guy so we wanted to share his antics with everyone that are been so supportive of his journey as well.
“We are wishing his platform will encourage people to foster/adopt from shelters instead of using breeders. It’s important to spread awareness of the plight of these dogs who never asked for shelter life. Their innocence is precious and they deserve a chance. Funny Bones, as animated and sweet as he is had to overcome a lot of challenges due to his history. It takes patience and perseverance but a dedicated pawrent should succeed with little to no issues. The spotlight is on his character enhances this point.”
DARG bid him a beautiful farewell, which you can watch below.
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