A dog who was found dumped in the cold, limping, and near blind a few months ago was the last animal remaining at an animal shelter in Northern Michigan following a 'clean out the shelter' event. The dog was adopted this week and his new home is with Stan Van Gundy.
The head coach of the Detroit Pistons heard about BISSELL Pet Foundation's event and was excited about the possibility of bringing home a new animal, according to a press release. When the family missed out on the possibility of adopting a new pet, Van Gundy's 17-year-old daughter voiced her 'disappointment'.
As luck would have it, they may have missed the event but they were the family to get the last pet out of the shelter by adopting Eastwood.
The red-coated Labrador retriever mix was born with a genetic defect in one of his rear legs that should have been fixed as a puppy. Eastwood is one year old and also has a condition that causes his eyelashes to grow inward. He's since had surgery to repair that and his vision has improved. The eye condition is what deterred adopters from taking home the adorable dog, despite his personality.
However, the shelter says specialists expect he will need a $4,000 surgery for his leg and even more eye surgery.
After hearing Eastwood's story, the Van Gundy's knew he would be their dog.
"We are so grateful to the Van Gundy family for the awareness they are bringing to adoption and for opening their hearts to make a difference that will change Eastwood's life forever," said Cathy Bissell, founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation in a press release. "Every shelter pet deserves a second chance. So many pets are waiting to be adopted and we hope telling Eastwood's story will help save those pets too."
Kim Van Gundy leads the Detroit Pistons Wives and Family Charitable Group and is excited to welcome Eastwood to their family.
"Special thank you to BISSELL Pet Foundation for sponsoring Empty the Shelters," commented Kim Van Gundy, Eastwood's new mom. "If it were not for Empty the Shelters, our family would not have seen Eastwood. We always believe our animals find us."