PHOENIX — >>Editor's note: The dogs in this story, Gengar and Snorlax, were adopted together Tuesday afternoon.
Some dogs are okay to stay in a kennel, and some aren't.
Experts call it "kennel deterioration," and it's when an otherwise healthy and well-behaved dog starts to shut down and grow aggressive when kept in a kennel.
Unfortunately, the only real treatment is adoption. If a dog deteriorates severely enough, or quickly enough, it may need to be put down.
And for Gengar, a 5-year-old white Siberian husky suffering from the condition, it's a life or death matter.
Outside of the kennel, Gengar is a fantastic dog, Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) staff said.
"He's great! He's playful, he's playing with his kennel mate, he's running around and he's wanting pets. The problem is, 23 hours of the day, he's in a kennel and he's stressed out," MCACC spokeswoman Kim Powell explained.
"Where he's housed currently is not fitting well with his mind," said "Having people walk by constantly might be stressing him out, or maybe it's all the other barking dogs. Essentially he's just, for lack of a better term, losing his mind."
He needs to be adopted by Wednesday evening. MCACC says it's looking to extend the deadline or move him to a more compatible shelter, but would prefer that he find a home.
Gengar has no bite history or aggression outside of the kennel, but he may need some extra patience and care from whoever adopts him. Kennel deterioration can take time to heal once a dog is out of the shelter.
"We always want to tell the dog owners about the 'rules of three,' especially if they're adopting a dog that has shown signs of kennel stress," Powell said. As she put it; it takes a dog three days to get used to its environment, three weeks to open up and start playing, and three months to get back to its normal self.
If you're looking to find a furry friend and save a life in the process, Gengar could be the dog for you.
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Adoption information
Gengar was found as an unchipped stray alongside another white husky, Snorlax, in Scottsdale earlier in July. The two are roughly the same age and get along well, but it's unclear if they're litter-mates or just the same breed.
Both dogs were being housed at the MCACC west shelter at 2500 S. 27th Avenue in Phoenix. They were adopted together to a new home Tuesday afternoon, Powell confirmed on Wednesday.
Thanks to the Bissell Pet Foundation's Empty the Shelters event, adoption fees for pets are waived through the rest of July.
You can click here to see all pets available for adoption, and find out more about MCACC services.
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