A New Jersey dog’s owners, two brothers, both died from the coronavirus and now the poor pooch is in search of a new home because of it.
On its Facebook page, Monmouth County SPCA shared photos of Che-Che on April 13, revealing that they will give some medical care to the nine-pound pup on her way to finding a new family.
“Unfortunately, Che-Che is the first of many animals that we anticipate needing a safe haven in these uncertain times,” the post went.
“Che-Che came to the Monmouth County SPCA this past weekend when two members of her family passed away due to the virus,” the post explained.
She was “scared and shaking when she arrived,” it added.
Dennis Traverso, 79, and his brother, James “Cricket” Traverso, 73, died a week apart from each other due to COVID-19. Members of her owners’ family brought Che-Che to the shelter because they couldn’t take her in.
Dennis’s daughter Denise said, “These were tireless, self-made men that worked labor jobs their whole life,’ Dennis’ daughter Denise told Good Morning America.
“They’re heroes…they were not formally educated, but were two of the most intelligent men I know.”
Apart from mourning the loss of their father and uncle, Denise and her sister were left with four dogs but they were unable to take care of them while also caring for their own families. This is why they had the dogs sent to the local shelter though it was a challenge to make the exchange safely.
“We met them outside in full PPE,” said the shelter’s executive director revealed.
“Che-Che was scared, the kids were in the car crying,” he continued. “They tried their hardest and just couldn’t do it. WE told them we could give her a good home.”
“We can’t imagine what it’s like for a dog like her to suddenly lose everything she’s ever known and then end up in an unfamiliar place,” the shelter staff wrote in the Facebook post.
“Our staff knew Che-Che needed some comfort and even through our PPE, we could tell a loving touch was all it took to help her to feel safe.”
Gina Mellish, the niece of James, Che-Che had been abused before her uncle and father took her in. The pooch needs a stable and calm home without children or other pets.
“When Che-Che is ready, we plan to honor the family and those they lost by finding this sweet little girl the perfect home,” the shelter wrote.
Replaced!