Atlas

My story

Atlas is in a foster home! Please submit an application from our website or email dogs@heartlandanimalshelter.org to see if you are a match! Scroll through his pictures to see his cute video content! Atlas has a big head, a bigger body, and the BIGGEST heart! Atlas comes to us from a partner shelter in rural Kentucky, where he had been for several months. Atlas was the star attendee at adoption events down there: people would come to say hi to Atlas, children would embrace him and love on him, but no one ever adopted him. We kept being told by the volunteers how special he was, and finally we had to see for ourselves. Indeed, this beefcake has nothing but love for everyone and everything. He is such a goofball, and when we call a dog a dum-dum, as we do Atlas, we mean that as the highest compliment, as our "dum-dum" dogs are the best dogs! They light up our lives with their silly antics. Atlas loves physical comedy- he lives to entertain us by rolling around on his back and kicking his legs, like he is a bug stuck upside down, with his stuffy hanging out of his mouth blocking his vision and whole head. Atlas also has the kindest heart, and is such a special friend for the dogs, especially the more shy ones. His buddy Emmer had been wanting to go in the baby pool all week during playgroup but she always hesitated. Then, Atlas came into our lives, and she followed him right into the pool in upon first meeting him, and he kept giving her kisses like he was so happy for her! Atlas landed a stay in a wonderful foster home with two other big dogs, where he is loving life. He is house-trained and crate trained - no issues staying in the crate during a full workday. When his foster dad gets home from work, he has full roam of the house with his foster sibs. He loves to play tug of war with them. Here is what his foster dad has to say about him. "Say hello to Atlas! This handsome, 2-year-old neutered boy is a gentle giant at around 80 pounds, with a heart just as big. Atlas is both house-trained and crate-trained, and he's got great manners to match his lovable personality. He’s fantastic with other dogs and adores meeting new people—always ready for playtime or a cuddle. Whether it's chasing toys in the yard or hanging out with the family, Atlas brings joy wherever he goes. His playful spirit and sweet nature make him an ideal family companion. With Atlas by your side, every day is a little more fun!" Atlas is always smiling, always up for a good time, and is going to make his person or people so happy. All they will need to do is look at his face. We love our big dum-dum Atlas, and we know you will too. Atlas’s adoption fee is $300. This animal is neutered and up to date on core vaccines. Atlas is Heartworm positive and is undergoing treatment with us. Heartland will cover the cost of treatment until he is Heartworm negative. Heartworm is not contagious to other dogs or people; it is a mosquito-borne disease. It is both preventable and curable! Once cured, there are no long term health effects associated with having Heartworm. Atlas is on a 28 day course of antibiotics, after which he will receive three injections to treat his Heartworm, the first of which will be at our shelter on 7/8/25. He will then receive two more treatments on back to back days-- on 8/5/25 and 8/6/25. That will complete the treatment, but he will need a quick retest at the adopter's vet 9 month post-treatment to make sure that he is Heartworm-free.

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Atlas, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.