Adoptable Pets Of The Week: Thunder, Vanessa, Athena

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — For those looking to adopt a pet, a great place to look for your new family member is at the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter. The facility, located at 75 Marino Ave. in Port Washington, houses dozens of dogs — and all of them need a furever home.

Here, we've rounded up a list of adoptable dogs for a series called "Patch's Adoptable Pets of the Week." This week, we're featuring Thunder, Vanessa, and Athena.

The dog-only shelter is facilitating adoptions by appointment only. An appointment can be made by calling 516-869-6311. Days and hours of operation are Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

THUNDER

Info from the shelter: Thunder is a 2-year-old Husky/ Shepherd mix that was found abandoned in a crate with a bag of dog food in a local park. Who would want to give up this sweet boy, we'll never know!

Thunder is very friendly, smart, and high energy — he has a typical husky personality and would love to join an active family. Jogging partner anyone? Although very social and friendly, he can be over-exuberant and jumpy so we are requiring a dog experienced family with children aged 12+.

For more information on Thunder please call the shelter at 516-869-6311 or to request an application please email animalshelter@northhempsteadny.gov.

VANESSA

Info from the shelter: Vanessa is a beautiful 3-year-old husky mix that was pulled by us from an overcrowded shelter in Georgia. She was positive for heartworms, a common mosquito-borne disease in the south, but has since undergone treatment which is now complete. Vanessa will require a few more follow-up visits that will be fully covered by The Shelter Connection's Mend-A-Paw fund. Any adoptive family must be willing and able to bring her either here or to our vet of choice for heartworm follow-up appointments.

Vanessa is a sweet, medium-energy girl that lives for belly rubs, but can be cautious when meeting new people at first. Vanessa is affectionate but she is the type of dog that likes affection on her terms- can you blame a gal? She would do best in a dog-experienced home without young children.

ATHENA

Info from the shelter: Sweet senior Athena has been with us at the shelter since 2017. She was in a home that loved her for her entire life, but sadly her owner passed away and there was no one in the family that could take her on.

Athena may be a senior, but you would never know it! This girl LIVES to chase a tennis ball and never seems to get tired of it. She'll even trade you kisses for the ball! Athena walks nicely on a leash, but if she sees a squirrel to chase she can take you for a ride. Therefore, we recommend that Athena not be walked by children. Athena loves all people she meets but she wants to be the only pet in the home.