There is no end to homophobia. It was only limited to people but now it has also paved its way for the housing of animals. On Tuesday, an openly gay couple adopted a dog abandoned at a North Carolina animal shelter after his owners mistook him for gay.
Fezco, a 4-year-old dog, was handed to Stanly County Animal Protective Services. According to the shelter’s Facebook page, Fezco gets along well with both humans and other dogs.
The owner said he didn’t want a ‘gay’ dog and left him in the shelter’s care, according to workers.
Fezco’s previous owners discovered him sexually dominating another male dog, causing them to believe he was gay. However, veterinarian Tahl Rozycki told USA TODAY that one of the reasons why dogs may engage in such behavior is that they may have a high level of testosterone. It drives the dog to breed.
“It could just be he’s trying to assert dominance over the other dog,” said Rozycki.
In a multi-dog context, the behavior could also be explained by dogs having a pecking order and knowing where their pecking order is, according to Rozycki.
Steve Nichols and his partner John have been married for more than 30 years and live in Charlotte. According to the pair, they adopted Fezco and called him Oscar after famous gay writer Oscar Wilde.
“It’s just such a silly reason to turn in a dog,” Nichols told WCCB Charlotte. “We just thought it would make sense for the gay dog to be adopted by a loving gay family.”
Dr. William Pressly, who is treating Oscar, says all dogs deserve a forever home.
“You just don’t throw ’em away,” the veterinarian said. “When you get an animal, he’s there for the lifetime.”