All shelter dogs dream of finding their own home, but some dogs take longer than others to be adopted. Many dogs wait for months or even years, and as they get older, their chances of being adopted diminish.
But recently, a senior dog finally found her forever home after being overlooked for 11 years.
11-year-old Vanessa
Vanessa is a female pitbull who ended up at the Villalobos Rescue Center in southern Louisiana in 2012. According to her records, her owners surrendered her because they were moving and no longer wanted her: “She was discarded like an old piece of furniture,” the shelter wrote.
“Her little life had only just begun, and she was already unwanted and minutes away from death in the back of a sweltering truck bed,” Tia Torres of the Villalobos Rescue Center told Newsweek.
Most of her life in the shelter
The shelter would be her home for most of her life as potential adopters continually overlooked her: “Not one person ever noticed her,” the shelter wrote.
Vanessa had all the qualities people look for in a dog: she was housebroken, calm, good with other dogs, and ready for a home. They couldn’t think of anything negative about her – and yet no one was ever interested in her.
“It’s hard to say why some dogs get noticed and others don’t. No one ever adopted her, through no fault of her own,” Torres said. “I think a lot of dogs get overlooked. But I don’t necessarily think it has to do with whether they’re more attractive or not.”
Eleven years passed since Vanessa was abandoned at the Villalobos Rescue Center. She got older and her coat turned gray. It seemed like Vanessa would never find a home.
But then a miracle happened: a former adopter contacted the rescue center recently and asked to adopt Vanessa!
Finally: Vanessa is adopted!
Torres told Newsweek that Vanessa’s new owner has adopted twice before at the same shelter; both dogs have since passed away due to old age, and they decided to open their hearts to this rescue dog who had waited so long. Vanessa is now on her way to her new home in Delaware, and the VRC is covering her care through their senior dog program.
We’re so happy that this beautiful dog has finally been adopted after 11 years! Enjoy your new home, Vanessa, you deserve it!
Share this inspiring news if you love dogs! ?❤️
