Overlooked for 330 days…
Pitbull. Black. High energy.
Just one of these is enough for potential adopters to pass by a dog’s cage.
Boomer was all three.
Adopters saw a pit bull, a breed that is unjustly feared. They saw a black dog, and black animals have a higher rate of being passed up for adoption because there are just so many of them. Lastly, they saw a high energy dog that may require too much work and training for many people.
CHS staff and volunteers saw something different, however. They saw a handsome young dog who is full of potential and very trainable. He was sweet, and thought he was a lap dog who wanted to lick everyone’s faces. Our staff trainer, along with skilled volunteers, worked with Boomer on his commands and being good on a leash. Although still high energy, we were able to redirect that energy into good behaviors.
With this energy level, we knew he would be best suitable for a home without cats and small children. Our trainer also worked with Boomer to ensure that given the right personality, he could go to a home where there was already a dog. But these stipulations just added to Boomer’s troubles in getting adopted.
One day over the summer he was adopted by a nice young man, with every intention of continuing Boomer’s training. The staff celebrated! But unfortunately, Boomer’s new owner wasn’t able to spend as much time with him as necessary, and Boomer was returned after just a short while.
Back in our care, the staff and volunteers continued to work with Boomer. He became quite the gentleman and was very food motivated to learn. As time passed, we became worried he was getting bored and under-stimulated when not out for his training walks. The staff trainer came up with a new way of feeding him, now coined “Boomer Boxes”. Staff would put Boomer’s food in a cardboard box, inside a slightly larger cardboard box, inside another box, and so on. This made Boomer work for his food, and kept him distracted and mentally challenged.
Day after day, Boomer was passed up for adoption.
Staff only got more attached to Boomer, but still wished he would find his forever home. When Boomer reached 317 days in the shelter (not including the short period when he was adopted initially), we did a huge facebook promotion to get him adopted. He received a strong response, with over 300 ‘likes’, more than 800 ‘shares’ and countless well-wishing comments.
Days passed. Then a week passed. Soon, we began to worry that Boomer would celebrate his one year anniversary of being at CHS.
One fateful day, 13 days after his facebook post, a woman came to CHS looking for a companion. She had no other animals, no children, a very large yard, and was going to be home a lot – the perfect setting for Boomer. When she saw Boomer, and he saw her, a love match was made! Boomer even got along with her mother’s dog.
On December 23, 2015, Boomer’s (and our) Christmas wish came true! He climbed right into her lap to give her kisses when she arrived to officially adopt him. He seemed to know that she was his, and he was forever going to be hers. Without a dry eye in the shelter, we watched Boomer get his happily ever after.
