A gay couple has come to the rescue of a dog in North Carolina who was recently abandoned by his previous owner. The pup was dumped at the Stanly County Animal Protective Services (SCAPS), with the owner telling shelter staff that he saw Fezco humping another male dog, and he didn’t want a “gay” pet.

As they worked to rehome the dog, the shelter posted the story to Facebook, adding that Fezco gets along with people and other animals, and would make a lovely pet.

https://twitter.com/NE0NGENESlS/status/1506090366843473922

News spread quickly, and it wasn’t long before the so-called gay dog was snatched up. SCAPS updated their Facebook page following Feszco’s adoption, saying: “We would like to give a special thank you to Greater Charlotte SPCA for taking Fezco into their rescue! Thankfully, they had a previous adopter step up, and Fezco has been ADOPTED!!!”

And who better to take the lead than Steve Nichols and his partner John? The pair who are based in the Charlotte area have been together for over 30 years and immediately felt connected to the dog’s story.

“We just thought it would make sense for the gay dog to be adopted by a loving gay family,” Steve told WCCB, also noting that “it’s such a silly reason to turn in a dog”.

John added: “We’ve been subject to that kind of bigotry and ignorance throughout our lives together, and we couldn’t always do anything about it. We looked at each other and said, we can do something about this.”

oh hell is hot pic.twitter.com/8vo31oaWvA

— matt (@mattxiv) March 22, 2022

The new owners also confirmed to TMZ that the dog’s name has since been changed to Oscar, inspired by the gay Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. He is also currently being treated for heartworms, and will be neutered, suggesting he wasn’t particularly well cared for in his previous home.

It should also be noted that a dog’s humping habits are not an indicator of sexuality. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) insisted that “mounting, thrusting and masturbation are normal behaviours exhibited by most dogs,” and Dr William Pressly of Pressly Animal Hospital added: “All dogs do it. It’s a dominance thing and a play thing.”