As if being in shelter wasn’t traumatic enough for dogs, a pup named Stella was returned twice in a matter of days after adoption, and now she’s looking for a loving family who can give her a well-deserved forever home.
In a post shared on Facebook on Saturday, the Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter explains that Stella first arrived at the shelter in December 2022, after her initial owner tossed her out the car on a busy highway near Newark and drove off.
More recently, she thought she’d finally found a forever home not once but twice, but unfortunately, both times she was returned to the shelter through no fault of her own.
“Stella never holds anything against anyone though, and she positively loves people. She’s so mild-mannered, sweet, loving, playful, she’s so well behaved and has had plenty of training too,” the caption says.
“She goes to adoption events, she meets new people all the time, and she considers every person she meets a new best friend!!”
Associated Humane Societies
A spokesperson for the Associated Humane Societies, Sandra Hickman, told Newsweek that the reason why Stella was returned twice is nothing but pure bad luck, and could have happened to any other dog.
“The first time was due to the adopter being older, and unable to handle her on a leash. The second time was due to the adopter’s child being allergic to her,” Hickman said.
Hickman explained that while Stella was initially a little leery of new people, that did not last long at all, in fact she soon started showing her warm, sweet, friendly disposition and she bonds with people quickly.
“Although she is 6 ½ years old now, Stella still loves to play like a puppy: run, zoom, chase toys, etc., but she is also very well-behaved. She listens, she’s housebroken, and she has had quite a bit of training,” Hickman said.
“Stella’s ideal home is one with no other pets, unfortunately. Stella may be fine with another dog once settled in a home but initially, she should start out as an only pet due to developing a dislike for them. We believe this is due to her extended length of stay here in a shelter environment. Aside from that, Stella is a very easy dog and any good, loving home would be just wonderful for her!”
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Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet ‘Shelter Watch Report’ found.
The most common reasons for dog surrenders include age, allergies, behavioral issues, clean-up, cost, moving, new pets, and shedding, according to the Humane Society of Macomb.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across Facebook. It has so far received over 660 likes and 433 re-shares on the platform.
One user, Jen Cote, commented: “A change of mind? Animals aren’t like sweaters to be returned. Poor girl, praying she finds her person or family.”
Fran Walker said: “Poor sweet Stella. I’m praying she finds her forever home soon.”
Sally Dennis added: “Poor girl. Third time should be her miracle love!”
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