Get to know the stories of adult and senior animals who have had their lives changed by being adopted after years of living in the shelter. This is the story of Jack, a black dog who entered the shelter when he was 1 year old and stayed there until he was 10 and was finally adopted.
Ana’s testimony:
I met Jack at the shelter, he was about 1 year old. As a volunteer at the shelter over the years, I got to know Jack and realised that he went unnoticed among hundreds of other dogs. He was also an energetic and needy young dog and some people didn’t understand his excessive energy.
When my old man died, I decided I wanted to adopt a dog that wasn’t easily adoptable and I chose Jack.
Jack ended up living in the shelter for 9 years until he came to my house… as soon as he entered the house, he immediately went to one of the beds and stayed there for hours! He didn’t care about the cats or the other dog. She just wanted to be in bed, in comfort. From the very first minute, she knew how to be indoors and it was amazing to realise that she had spent a lifetime in a shelter and was adapting so well to a home.
All he wanted was cuddles and comfort, he became an incredible companion who followed me everywhere, and I was his human. Clearly he was a grateful dog for his new life and comfort.
Even after spending half his life in a shelter without the comfort of a home and never having had a single application to adopt him, Jack never found the change in his life – from shelter to home – strange.
On the contrary, he spent days sleeping rough and resting like – perhaps – he’d never had the chance.
It was marvellous to see how he developed in a home, knowing how to behave, when to eat and when to go for walks, how to walk on a lead and how to respect cats. And he was a marvellous dog during the years we spent together.
Jack spent 9 years in a shelter and 6 in a home. He eventually died aged 16.
Like Jack, I know that there are dozens of animals who never get the chance to go to a home and most adult animals end their lives in the shelter because puppies are more ‘adoptable’ but old people are magnificent and rewarding.’
Stories like this are unfortunately rare, and in recent years more animals have been abandoned. Over the 22 years we’ve been in existence, we’ve realised that, on average, at least one puppy ends up staying at the shelter for its entire life.
Each adoption is a new opportunity for love and a changed life – for both the animal and the human. How about being the next to write an ageless love story?
Visit the shelter and consider changing an animal’s life. Adopt responsibly.