From Fear to Family: Jay Finds His Way Home
For nearly 20 dogs in Central North Carolina, their life was inside the walls of an extremely unsanitary and hazardous home.
After the ASPCA was called in to help in late August 2025, one thing was clear; we needed to get them out of the poor conditions they had been living in.
Our team of experts removed all of the dogs and transported them to an ASPCA recovery facility where they received forensic veterinary and behavioral examinations in addition to medical treatment and ongoing care.
During one dog’s behavior exam, Jay, it was obvious he was fearful of the world, specifically people, handling and leashing. Staff worked with Jay on his fear but felt he needed more specialized care and continued support, so he was transferred to the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in Weaverville, North Carolina.
Learning to Feel Safe
The Behavioral Rehabilitation Center is a facility specifically designed for intensive rehabilitation for fearful dogs, so our staff was ready, willing and able to help Jay.
“When Jay first arrived at here, we found that he displayed primarily mild fear but showed more pronounced fear and concern during handling and leashing,” explained Meredith W., a behavior rehabilitation manager who worked closely with Jay. “He was hesitant to be leashed in his kennel and often used avoidance behaviors rather than engaging with people.
One of our biggest concerns early on was his tendency to seek exits and look for ways to escape uncomfortable situations, both indoors and outdoors. While he was not displaying intense fear throughout his initial evaluation, he clearly lacked confidence and had difficulty feeling safe around unfamiliar people and experiences. Overall, Jay presented as a dog who was worried, cautious and unsure of the world around him.”
To help Jay learn that the world isn’t so scary, Meredith and her team focused on building Jay’s confidence, and learning that people, handling and new experiences could be safe and enjoyable.
“Overall, our goal was to help Jay develop the skills and confidence needed to navigate everyday life as a pet, feel safe interacting with people and experience the world around him with curiosity rather than fear,” said Meredith. “Early on, much of that work centered around creating positive associations with people through games, food, gentle handling and cooperative leash work. We gradually helped him become more comfortable with being touched, leashed, guided by a handler and interacting with unfamiliar people.”
Meredith and her team also paid close attention to Jay’s tendency to seek exits and avoid situations that made him uncomfortable, using recall exercises and other engagement games to encourage Jay to choose to move toward people when called rather than away from them. As he became more comfortable with people and his environment, his escape-seeking behaviors diminished significantly.
“As Jay progressed, we expanded his world,” recalled Meredith. “We worked on walking in different areas of the facility, navigating new environments, entering buildings, walking through doorways and other challenging spaces, spending time with novel people, and learning to recover from unfamiliar sights and sounds. We also incorporated activities that he enjoyed, including play with other dogs, which helped build his confidence and engagement.”
One of the larger goals the team had for Jay was to have him become comfortable in cars and travelling.
“We started with simply approaching and exploring vehicles, then progressed to loading into cars, riding comfortably and ultimately accompanying staff on offsite field trips,” explained Meredith. “Throughout the process, we carefully adjusted the difficulty of each exercise so that Jay could continue building confidence while remaining successful.”
As Jay’s confidence grew, he showed staff that he was actually a very social dog! He readily engaged with his handlers, enjoyed spending time with people and often approached people to solicit attention. He learned to accept a wide variety of handling, including more invasive forms of petting and restraint that are important for veterinary and everyday care. Over time, he also became comfortable working with novel people and was able to generalize his skills to individuals he had never met before.
Ready for Graduation
Jay spent nearly 17 weeks in treatment before graduating the program, just over the average graduation rate for dogs at the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center.
“By the time Jay graduated, he had made remarkable progress. He had grown from a worried, cautious dog into one who was confident, engaged and eager to participate in activities with people,” shared Meredith. “One of the most significant changes was in his confidence. The escape-seeking and avoidance behaviors we saw early in his stay had greatly diminished, and he was much more likely to engage with people, respond to recalls and look to his handlers for guidance when faced with something new. He willingly participated in leashing — in fact, by the end of the program, he was even comfortably wearing a harness for walks, something that would have been difficult to imagine during his early days in treatment.
Jay also maintained his playful, social nature. He enjoyed interacting with other dogs, showed enthusiasm for adventures and enrichment activities, and became a dog who was excited to experience the world around him. While every dog continues learning throughout life, Jay graduated from the program with the skills, confidence and resilience needed to successfully transition into a home environment.”
Having overcome many hurtles, Jay just had one final step in his journey — finding a loving home!
To give him the best chance at finding his people, Jay was transferred to Greenville Humane Society, an ASPCA partner shelter.
The Final Step in a Journey Home
Scott’s family had a Lab-mix for 13 years before she passed in 2023. After three years, they decided it was time to get a new dog, so they started visiting the Greenville Humane Society for inspiration.
“Our oldest son saw a husky online and said that he was interested in that breed,” said Scott. “After researching the breed, we hesitated — it sounded like a lot of work!”
But, after meeting Jay at Greenville Humane Society, they fell for his beauty and gentleness with all three children.
“The next day the kids still wanted him, so we went back and got him on a Sunday,” Scott told us.
Since his adoption, Jay has become an integral part of his family.
“The kids love to get Jay to run with the zoomies!” Scott shared. “Taking him for walks allows our family to slow down. When the family is quiet and watching a movie, he barks at us for attention. He has become more trusting since we met him, allowing him to be more playful.”
Receiving updates about Jay’s beautiful new life, seeing him comfortable, safe and thriving in a home, is the very reason Meredith, her team and all the staff at the ASPCA do the work we do.
“Dogs like Jay remind me why I’m here and why this work matters so deeply,” Meredith said with tears in her eyes. “We make a difference in the lives of every dog we care for. This work is humbling but every dog teaches me something, and Jay was no exception. Seeing him go from a life marked by neglect and uncertainty to one filled with safety, love and genuine joy is something truly special, and reminds me all the hard work is worth it. There is something a little magical about seeing a dog discover that the world doesn't have to be scary. Knowing that Jay now gets to live the life he always deserved is an incredible gift.”
How You Can Help Dogs Like Jay
October 22 is National Make A Dog’s Day, a day created by Subaru to encourage all dog lovers across the country to do something special for their canine family members or support a local animal in need.
We are grateful and proud to have partners like Subaru, who are committed to making the world a better place for animals and supporting programs like the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, helping dogs like Jay find their families. Subaru is especially passionate about supporting some of the most vulnerable shelter animals, including older and disabled dogs, whom they lovingly call ‘Underdogs.’ These dogs are often overlooked and stay longer in shelters as they wait to find loving homes.
This year, Subaru and the ASPCA encourage people everywhere to consider adopting, fostering or supporting an Underdog as a life-changing way to Make A Dog’s Day.
Looking to Make A Dog’s Day by adopting a new pup? Check out our adoptable dogs in New York City, Pawling, New York, Weaverville, North Carolina, or Columbus, Ohio! Not in these areas? Check out your local shelter!
Not ready to commit to adoption just yet? Try fostering! You can foster dogs through the ASPCA in New York City, Pawling, New York, Weaverville, North Carolina or Columbus, Ohio, or through your local shelter.
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