Three St Bernard brothers looking for a home together have captured the imaginations of dog lovers around the world.
Goliath, Gunther and Gasket arrived at the Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) in Canada underweight but otherwise healthy. However, staff at the shelter soon realized that getting the dogs adopted would be more of a challenge than they anticipated. That’s because when the dogs were evaluated, it became clear that the three dogs shared a special bond.
“While friendly and playful, their behaviour assessment showed signs of the trio being bonded with each other, including high levels of anxiety, searching and attempting to escape in order to find each other when separated,” a news release read.
The EHS originally thought the dogs were two years old but it turns out the dogs are five years old, a bit of a surprise for the EHS given the brothers’ excellent teeth. They also confirmed that Gunther, Goliath and Gasket were litter mates.
“Thanks to the power of social media, we have also had a few people come forward who knew these three pups when they were younger and have been able to share some more details on them. They have confirmed the three dogs are littermates and have been together since birth,” the shelter wrote. “They are just over five years old, which came as surprise to us, as their teeth are in incredible condition for a giant breed dog. They also shared that these dogs do everything together, including eating out of the same bowl, which is something we have noticed during their stay in our shelter too.”
The family who adopts the three St. Bernards will need to have a large yard and be able to afford feeding the three large dogs (around $300 a month on food). But this has not dissuaded people from sending in applications.
The EHS revealed that within a few days of putting out the call for adoption they received hundreds of emails.
“Over 200 emails have come in so far from people who generously want to open their hearts & homes to these 3 dogs – including within Alberta, across the country, & even in the United States & Australia,” they tweeted.
“Due to the overwhelming response, we are closing applications for now to review the ones received & begin to schedule adoption interviews,” they continued. “With the number of applications received, we are confident we will be able to find a forever home nearby that will keep these 3 together.”
The EHS said it will let everyone know when the dogs find a forever home.
Pupdate:
The EHS released the following update: “The three Saint Bernard brothers were adopted from EHS by a family in Calgary last October. The dogs, who have gained the nickname “the 3Gs”, garnered worldwide attention last fall when EHS put the call out for a special adopter who could take in all three of them.” The trio appeared as honourary Walk Marshals at the Edmonton Humane Society’s (EHS) annual Pets in the Park festival this past spring 2019.