Dog Races Out of the Shelter After 456 Day Stay, Will be ‘Home for Christmas’
A shelter dog will be home for the holidays after waiting 456 days to be adopted. Olive, a bulldog mix, has been a long term resident at Lake Norman Humane shelter in Mooresville, North Carolina. She arrived in September 2022 after she was surrendered to animal control with three puppies.
The shelter wrote on their Facebook page, “Olive’s life before coming to us was not an easy one. She spent most of her days outside, chained up and alone. However, that is all about to change because Olive is ready to become an indoor dog and finally experience the warmth and love of a true forever home.” Olive’s puppies found homes but she didn’t.
A year past and then nearly another until, in early December, Lake Norman Humane shared a video and announced, “We have waited 456 days to make this post…Olive will be home for Christmas.”
@lknhumane We are all crying happy tears! After 456 days, Olive has been adopted and will spend Christmas in a home! Happy tails Olive!❤️❤️ #dogsoftiktok #lakenormanhumane #adoptdontshop #shelterdog ♬ Home – Matthew Hall
In the video, Olive can be seen wearing a festive onesie and pulling a shelter staff member from the kennels to the shelter’s lobby. The video caption reads, “Olive knew, and she didn’t hesitate. She knew her time had come and she ran to meet it.”
She definitely can’t wait to get out to her waiting family.
Shelter staff are delighted that the beautiful brown and blue eyed dog will be home for Christmas. She was constantly overlooked because she had a shy demeanour in her kennel. But the 5-year-old dog had a completely different personality when she was outside or with people she trusted.
“She can be a little shy at first, but once she warms up to you, she’s an absolute love bug,” the shelter shared in an earlier post while trying to find Olive a home. “Olive adores getting chin and side scratches, and she’s always up for a good cuddle session…. She has been with us way too long and we have no idea why.”
They asked potential adopters to give her a little extra time. “If you are interested in Olive, give her 20 minutes. Maybe even give her 30. And you will see how full of life she is. You will see that her kennel presence is not a representation of her as a dog,” the shelter explained.
Thankfully, the right people did come along just in time for Christmas.
Animal-welfare manager Abby Richardson told Newsweek, that Olive’s new family came in multiple times to give her a chance to bond with them. “She was slow to warm up, but when the time came for her to go home, she was so excited to see her loving family,” she said. “The staff and volunteers were so excited to see how much love and trust was shared between Olive and her new family.”
Merry Christmas and Happy Tails, Olive!
