‘Big ol' goofball' dog rescued after hurricane still needs home 200 days later

Miami Herald

10-07-2025

A dog rescued after a hurricane is being overlooked — and he's 'waiting for a chance to belong.'
G.G. Goof has spent roughly 275 days growing up at a North Carolina animal shelter after arriving as a puppy.
'Goof is exactly what his name suggests — a fun, lovable whirlwind of energy,' Danielle Deschamps, communications coordinator for the Watauga Humane Society, told McClatchy News in a July 10 email. 'He's bouncy, playful, and happiest when he's rolling in the grass or tossing around a toy. He's got these soft, soulful eyes that really draw you in.'
Goof needs a new home months after Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast in late September. The storm left parts of Western North Carolina with catastrophic flooding and damage from fallen trees.
'His story is a memorable one — he quite literally blew into our lives during Hurricane Helene,' Deschamps wrote. 'He showed up on someone's porch right after the storm. They kindly kept him safe for a few weeks while we worked to recover — our adoption center was without water for more than two weeks and we ran on a generator for nearly a month.'
Goof landed at the shelter, where he became known as a 'big ol' goofball.' The mixed-breed pup is now 1 year old and weighs about 70 pounds, according to a Facebook post and online adoption profile.
'He's grown up here, behind adoption center walls,' the shelter wrote. 'A big-hearted boy with an even bigger body, he's still figuring out where all his limbs go.'
Deschamps said animals increasingly are spending more than 200 days at the shelter due to 'limited pet-friendly housing, rising costs of pet care, and ongoing overpopulation issues.' When Goof first arrived, he was seen 'wiggling with excitement.'
But after months of being passed over, he's started to show signs of sadness.
'What's really striking is how different he is outside the shelter,' Deschamps wrote. 'Here, he can be chaotic and overwhelmed, but every outing has revealed a calmer, more joyful side.'
As of July 10, Goof was still up for adoption in the mountain town of Boone, a roughly 85-mile drive west from Winston-Salem. Details about the shelter's adoption process can be found at wataugahumane.org.
'We won't sugarcoat it: G.G. Goof needs patience. He needs structure,' the shelter wrote. 'He needs someone willing to look beyond the zoomies and see a dog who's never been given a fair shot at growing up right. But under all that energy is a loyal heart just waiting for a chance to belong.'