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Miami Valley, we need your help! Meet Tom and Jerry, a bonded pair of brothers who have spent their entire lives waiting for a family to choose them.
Tom and Jerry were just a few months old when their litter was surrendered to a small Ohio rescue in 2022. Their siblings all found homes, but Tom and Jerry were overlooked time and time again. The brothers stayed together with the same foster caregiver for nearly four years – until early 2026, when she needed to move in with a family member whose home already had cats. Tom and Jerry, who must live cat-free, needed to find alternative placement.
With no other foster homes available, the rescue sent out a plea for help. That’s when SICSA Pet Adoption & Wellness Center stepped in. We agreed to transfer the dogs into our adoption program, with HALO K9 Behavior (Xenia) offering boarding and training services to help assess the dogs’ needs.
It didn’t take long for staff and volunteers to recognize the strength of Tom and Jerry’s bond. Regina Willen, HALO K9 founder and Board-Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (ACAAB), states she has “never seen anything like it before.” The brothers are so bonded, they practically move in unison. Eating, playing, sleeping – everything they do is side-by-side.
During their assessment period at HALO, Tom and Jerry enjoy a large yard space, enrichment, individualized attention, and quality time together while SICSA searches for their future family. However, the dogs cannot remain at HALO indefinitely. We’re hoping to find an adopter for the pair before their time at the behavior boarding center runs out, at which point they will need to be transferred to our brick-and-mortar facility.
Life in a brick-and-mortar shelter is hard for any dog. The sights, sounds, and routines are nothing like a home environment. For Tom and Jerry, who have spent their entire lives in a home-like setting, SICSA and HALO fear the kennel environment will be detrimental to the brothers’ wellbeing – especially with our limited ability to co-house the two large dogs together on-site.
“When an animal’s path to adoption takes longer than we hoped, our responsibility doesn’t stop at keeping them safe,” says Jessie Sullivan, Director of Shelter Operations. “We also have to think about what their life looks like while they’re waiting. Sending Tom and Jerry to HALO gave them the opportunity to live in an environment that works better for them while we keep looking for the home we know is out there.”
SICSA places over 2,000 pets into loving homes each year, but large dogs – especially “bully breeds” like Tom and Jerry – often wait longer for an adopter to choose them. Tom and Jerry’s size, breed type, and bonded status create a unique challenge in finding them a forever home. Securing foster placement for two large dogs is just as challenging. Both SICSA and HALO believe the right home is out there, though – we simply need the community’s help finding them!
Tom and Jerry are about 3 ½ years old and have excellent house manners. Beyond needing to stay together, they don’t ask for much. They aren’t destructive, they’re house-trained, and they’ve lived with older children. Despite their size, they’re surprisingly low-key. They’re perfectly happy with a few laps around a fenced yard before settling in for cuddle time with each other and their people.
SICSA Pack, please help us find Tom and Jerry the family they’ve spent their whole lives waiting for! Anyone interested in learning more or meeting the pair can contact SICSA Pet Adoption & Wellness Center at 937-294-6505.