I'm a big supporter of "no kill" shelters. In rescues like these, beautiful, sweet dogs and cats are given a second chance at life and finding their forever homes.
Often the dogs that end up at these shelters are a little harder to adopt. Maybe they're older, or disabled, or people have stigmatized their breed calling them "vicious" or "aggressive." Shelters have to be creative in finding ways to bring attention to the animals in their care. They hold events, make YouTube videos, or schedule photo shoots to show off the dogs' personalities.
The North Fork Animal Welfare League has been rescuing and finding homes for stray dogs and cats since the 1960s. They're dedicated to help any animal they encounter, but they've never had such a hard time finding a forever home for one of their animals, as they experienced with Chester the pit bull mix.
Chester was held at the rescue center for five years without finding anyone willing to adopt him — even though he showed that he was a loving, well-behaved, dog.
Fortunately, the managers of the shelter refused to give up their hope for Chester, so they took another photo and posted it to Facebook. They never expected the response they would get…
Please SHARE if you think every dog — regardless of their breed — deserves a chance to find a home!
This photo was posted to Facebook and quickly went viral.
Chester's sign reads:
"Why doesn't anybody want me? I've been waiting 5 years. Everyone at the shelter tells me what a good boy I am. So why has no one adopted me? I promise to be good and love my new family. Please maybe you are my new family…I sit and wait for you to come. Chester"
The photo was shared over 6,000 times by the end of the day. As a result, the shelter received over 300 emails and countless calls from people who wanted to help find Chester a new home.
Manager Gabby Stroup told the Southfield Local that “The phone just never stopped. People called from Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Michigan, Oregon, New Jersey Wisconsin, Nova Scotia, Australia and more — people tearing up as they called.”
One of the parties who called was a woman named Dana Dor. We had heard about Chester and thought he might be a good match for her family.
The family came to meet Chester and they said that they felt it was "meant to be." They instantly bonded with the dog and just had to adopt Chester.
It's a shame that Chester had to wait five years, but at least he's with the right owners. The shelter still doesn't understand why no one wanted Chester. Around the shelter, he had the nickname of "The Court Jester" because of his humorous antics.
It's largely believed that a prejudice against pit bulls is what kept interesting parties away. Pit bulls and mixes like Chester have a reputation for being "aggressive," but this is dependent on how the human raises them.
Of course, the shelter is grateful that Chester has a home, but they want to remind people of all the other dogs they are having a hard time adopting, like Fiona.
Her sign reads:
"Hi I'm Fiona! I came to the shelter 2 years ago. My knees were bad so I had two surguries to fix them. I can now play and walk comfortable. I like other dogs and all people. Maybe you are my family? My friend Chester said it worked him! I want a home next please. Fiona." [sic]
Please SHARE! Maybe Fiona will have a happy story like Chester's. For more dogs that need help, visit the rescue's website.
