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  • NoVA Pets of the Month: Shandy, Biscuit, and Nerina Are Looking to Settle at Home
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NoVA Pets of the Month: Shandy, Biscuit, and Nerina Are Looking to Settle at Home

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month! To celebrate, help these two older felines (plus a sweet young puppy), find their forever homes.

By Kate Oczypok November 22, 2022 at 2:46 pm

Each month, we feature a dog and cat who are available for adoption through local animal rescues. November’s featured pets include Shandy the dog and, in honor of November being Adopt a Senior Pet month, Biscuit and Nerina the cats, ages 10 and 12. 

Photo courtesy of Project Second Chance

Dog of the Month: Meet Shandy 

Shandy was rescued in Puerto Rico, along with her siblings and mother, by Project Second Chance after they were found in a trash bag on the side of the road. Shandy is 14 weeks old and weighs 16 pounds. She is a shepherd/boxer mix (confirmed by a DNA test) and is estimated to reach about 45 pounds once she’s fully grown. She is crate trained, learning basic commands, and catching on quickly to housebreaking and leash training. Her favorite things to do are playing with squeaky toys, cuddling with her foster mom, going for walks, and napping. She just arrived in Alexandria and is ready to find a forever home.  

If you are interested in adopting Shandy, you can apply here. 

Photo courtesy of Fancy Cats & Dogs (Biscuit)

Cats of the Month: Meet Biscuit and Nerina 

In honor of November being Adopt a Senior Pet Month, Fancy Cats & Dogs sent us not one, but two senior cats currently up for adoption. The domestic shorthair Biscuit, 10, is a sweet, affectionate cat who enjoys playing and sunbathing. She gets along well with other cats, too. 

Twelve-year-old Nerina (featured in the top image) is a healthy older lady originally from Italy. She does have impaired vision and traveled here on a European Union passport with her owner and a small dog. Her owner returned to Italy with the dog but left Nerina behind. 

While she is shy on the outside, she does enjoy a good cat nap while you sit and binge-watch a show. She tolerates small dogs, plays with hairbands, string, and the occasional ball. She also sometimes likes a good catnip mouse toy.  

More information on Biscuit can be found here. Those who are interested in Nerina can click here. 

Feature image courtesy of Fancy Cats & Dogs

For more stories like this, subscribe to our Pets newsletter.

Kate Oczypok

Kate Oczypok

Contributing Writer

Kate Oczypok has been a freelance writer since 2011, and is proud to be a regular contributor to Northern Virginia Magazine in digital and print since 2020. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, People.com, Better Homes and Gardens, and locally The Georgetowner and Washingtonian Magazine, among others. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from American University and a M.Ed. in Education from Penn State. She also teaches virtual piano lessons in the after school hours and does portrait photography on weekends.

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