This Boxer Mix Was Found Alone On Route 17: Years Later, He Waits For Someone To Love Him

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

This profile is part of a new Daily Voice column highlighting senior and long-term dogs at the Bergen County Animal Shelter who deserve a second chance.

A boxer mix who has spent two of his three years of life at the Bergen County Animal Shelter is looking for a home.

Carson arrived as a stray found running along Route 17 in September 2023 when he was just one year old, shelter officials said. He's grown up at the shelter, where staff describe him as sweet, playful, loyal, and smart. He’s also food-motivated and eager to learn, according to shelter manager Meg Tedeschi.

“We don’t know what he has been through before coming to the shelter, but he has spent most of his life here," Tedeschi said, "so he may need some time to warm up. But once he does, he goes belly up."

Carson will need slow introductions to new people and a patient adopter who can give him time to decompress, staff said. The shelter said he needs structure and stability — things he has never had before and “desperately needs.” He would do best with an experienced dog owner and no young children.

Anyone interested in Carson can email mtedeschi@bergencountynj.gov.