Gypsy and Gabby Need a New Home After Owner’s Medical Crisis

Summit’s Sanctuary, Cherokee County Animal Shelter seek foster or adoptive home for two longtime family pets

T.L. Sullivan | The Weekly Ledger News | Community News | Cherokee County, Ala. | Wednesday, August 19, 2026

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ala. — A local animal rescue is asking the community to help two beloved dogs whose lives have been upended after a medical crisis left their owner unable to return home.

Summit’s Sanctuary, which works to help the Cherokee County Animal Shelter, is seeking a foster, adoptive home, or rescue placement for Gypsy and Gabby, two dogs who were originally adopted from the county shelter and have spent most of their lives as cherished family pets.

Gypsy, a 3-year-old Lab mix, was adopted when she was just 6 weeks old in 2023. Gabby, a 4-year-old Chihuahua mix, was adopted in 2022.

Now, through circumstances entirely beyond their control, the two are facing the possibility of returning to the shelter.

Their owner is currently hospitalized in critical condition and is not expected to be able to return home. He is eventually expected to require nursing home care and has also lost his home. Although family members may want to help, they are unable to take responsibility for the dogs.

That leaves Gypsy and Gabby without the home and person they have known and loved.

From a Loving Home to an Uncertain Future

Those working to help the dogs are especially concerned about what a return to a shelter environment could mean for two animals accustomed to living in a home.

Gypsy and Gabby haven’t spent their lives in kennels. They have known the routines, comfort and security that come with being someone’s pets.

For dogs accustomed to a home, suddenly entering a shelter can be an overwhelming adjustment.

Unfamiliar surroundings, noise, other animals, new people, and the sudden loss of their normal routine can create significant stress.

Those advocating for Gypsy and Gabby hope to find another safe home before the pair has to experience that transition.

Both dogs are spayed and fully vetted.

Gabby can initially be hesitant around men, but rescuers emphasize that she is not aggressive. She needs patience and an opportunity to build trust with someone new.

Gypsy, meanwhile, is described simply as a dog who wants to be someone’s friend — looking for someone to love and a family who will love her in return.

A Home Together Would Be Ideal

The hope is to find a safe place for the girls together, if at all possible, whether through fostering, adoption or placement with another rescue.

Their situation is not the result of anything they have done. They are two family pets caught in heartbreaking circumstances after their owner’s life unexpectedly changed.

Community members who cannot foster or adopt can still help by sharing Gypsy and Gabby’s story. Reaching the right person could make the difference between the dogs returning to a shelter kennel and transitioning directly into another loving home.

Anyone able to foster, adopt, or assist with securing a safe rescue placement for Gypsy and Gabby is encouraged to contact the Cherokee County Animal Shelter/Animal Control or Summit’s Sanctuary as soon as possible.

These two girls have already lost the home and person they knew. Those working on their behalf are hoping Cherokee County and the surrounding communities can come together to make sure they don’t lose the comfort of a loving home, too.

Please share Gypsy and Gabby’s story and help give these two beloved pets the second chance they deserve.

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