Luna’s Christmas gift may not have arrived right on time, but that didn’t make it any less special when mother-daughter duo Crystal and Ellee signed the last adoption form Saturday to take the 2-year-old Chihuahua mix home.
“We don’t get small breeds often,” said Sarah Benderman, a Maryville City employee working at the Maryville-Alcoa Animal Rescue Center. “They usually go pretty quickly when we do. We have more trouble re-homing dogs, medium and large-breeds especially. I think part of it is because so many apartments and rentals have rules about what kinds of pets someone can have, like breed and weight restrictions.”
Nowhere is that clearer than when looking at the center’s kennels. The MAARC has 19 canine kennels but is housing 20 dogs currently, Benderman said. Dash, a three-time returnee, recently took over a former office and now sits behind a baby gate, docked tail wiggling fiercely at each passerby…