All shelter dogs dream of finding their permanent home, but some take longer than others. Some dogs spend years waiting to be adopted, to the point where they spend most of their lives in shelters.
But every dog deserves the right home, even the oldest. Recently, after 14 years at a shelter, an elderly dog finally found his permanent home, thanks to an adopter’s perseverance and kindness.
Stuart is a 19-year-old dog who spent 14 years of his life at Friends of Strays, Inc. in Princeton, Illinois. After years of living there, it looks like Stuart will spend the rest of his days in the shelter.
But while everyone gave up trying to find Stuart a home, one woman remained determined to adopt Stuart. Emily Wozniak, a former shelter worker, heard about Stuart’s long stay at the shelter and wanted to help.
Emily told The Dodo: “It really broke my heart to learn that there are dogs out there 14, 10, 8, 5 years old just like Stuart.
She shared Stuart’s story on social media, hoping someone would help him. Natalie Snyder, founder of Repo’s Rescue, saw the story and confirmed to the shelter that she has been there since 2008.
Natalie decides to adopt the old dog herself, giving her the home she’s been denied for so long – but faces a surprising setback. Initially, the shelter refused to let her adopt him, saying that Stuart had been there for so long that the shelter was his “home”.
However, Natalie received support from “thousands of people” who “gathered around Stuart and his freedom everywhere”. Natalie wrote: “They know he deserves a home of his own.
In the end, the rescue allowed Natalie to adopt Stuart. The 19-year-old dog after 14 years in a kennel has finally found his true home.
While the shelter insists that Stuart is happy and would be better off in his familiar surroundings, there’s no denying how happy he looks to be free.
The video shared by Natalie shows the elderly dog moving to a new home where he will spend the rest of his life. Now he has a yard to play in, a real bed to sleep in and a new owner who loves him.
“I can’t help but mourn him for the past 19 years. The peace he can feel,” Natalie wrote on TikTok. “His life was taken. All I can do is love him to the end.”
“He likes to sleep everywhere, so I let him sleep. He gets the best food and lots of snacks… No more concrete, cots or noise.”
All dogs deserve the right home, even older dogs and dogs that have spent most of their lives in shelters. It is clear that Stuart loves his new-found freedom and will spend the rest of his life knowing that he is loved.
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education