Dog who broke record for longest time in shelter is finally adopted
A dog who was once the longest staying resident at the RSPCA has finally found a family of his own.
Three-year-old lurcher, Gary, has spent two years at the kennel after being left by his previous owner when he was 12 months old.
The nervous pooch had seen 195 kennel mates come and go with new families, but he was never picked to join a forever family.
Jo Baxter and her husband Andrew from Castleford in West Yorkshire were tagged in an RSPCA adoption appeal on Facebook.
They instantly met with the shelter and Ms Baxter added as soon as they saw Gary they knew “right away” he was coming home with them.
“Gary jumped up at Andrew straight away, his tail was wagging and he seemed so happy, so we came away that day already knowing we were committed, and we couldn’t be happier with him,” she said.
Her husband added the immediate thought they had on meeting the lonely pooch, who’s been homeless for 578 days, was: “We’re taking him home”.
He’s slotted into his new home perfectly too and has been living with the Baxters for more than two weeks.
The pooch spends his days lounging in the garden and hovering around the fridge for treats and is working on getting his new owners to let him snooze on his favourite sofa, which he sneakily jumps on after they’ve gone to bed.
Ms Baxter said Gary is a “lovely dog”.
“We love dogs, I grew up with them and we’ve had them before, we were already thinking of adopting a dog, so it seemed like a perfect match.”
She added Gary loves his new home “and the fridge in particular”.
“He loves to snooze too but every day he’ll have one or two what we call ‘mad moments’ where he gets hyper and darts around the house with a toy in his mouth. His walks are one of his favourite parts of the day.”
The couple said they expected Gary to take a while to settle like most adopted dogs and he “mostly’ sticks to the house rules.
“We’re so happy to have Gary with us, and to know that we have freed him from such a long time in a kennel just makes it even more special.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
