Shelters and foster homes advocate that people adopt and not shop for pets.
Many animals are abandoned and rescued by these institutions, and these pets are looking for a loving home. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2.1 million dogs and 2 million cats are adopted each year (as of their 2019 statistics).
However, it’s not always a happy story in these shelters.
In the same statistics by ASPCA, more than 40% each among cats and dogs gets rehomed. The main reasons include health problems that the owner can’t handle. Others grew larger than they expected and wanted, making it difficult to live in their homes. Most of the time, pets get rehomed because of problematic and aggressive behavior.
In a way, it still isn’t a fair game inside the shelter.
People looking to adopt still have a preference – either breed, size, attitude, or even looks. The sad truth is that there will always be those animals that get left behind and not chosen at all.
Rocky went through that before he got adopted.
He is a cross between a Pomeranian and a Pug, and he was so tiny when he was rescued. Unfortunately, his teeth were starting to rot, so they had to take him out. His old age and grumpy attitude made him less appealing to potential fur-parents.
But this man changed Rocky’s life.
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He was at the shelter and wanted to check out one dog he’d like to adopt. When he got there, many people lined up for that same dog. But he noticed that no one was lining up for Rocky.
He went near him, and he fell in love with him immediately.
Rocky was underweight, barely half that of the typical weight of a Pomi-Pug mix. His strong and grumpy attitude turned off most applicants, but not his soon-to-be fur-dad. He signed the papers and took Rocky home.
Rocky’s life totally changed.
He may not have any teeth, but he was fed with prescription food, and he grew up to be healthy. He loves playing with other dogs, taking walks with his fur-mom, and going on hiking trips.
He is still a grumpy dog, though.
He growls when he doesn’t like what he sees or hears, particularly car rides. His fur-mom shared that he’s never comfortable with car rides, and you can hear him growl a lot even if he is in the back seat.
Rocky also doesn’t like mirrors.
He would keep barking at the reflection as if he saw a stranger. Or probably he is confused why there are two of him and his hooman!
Despite being grumpy, he’s proven that he can be proper, too.
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This happened during his fur-parents’ wedding. He looked all dapper as the ring bearer and the ‘best dog.’ They said he behaved during the rehearsal dinner but lost it during the wedding day because he got too excited with all the people around.
Nonetheless, he is still the good-est boy for his parents.
Rocky may have taken a while to get adopted because of his demeanor. It turns out that all he needed was a second chance and some TLC from his forever home.
Check out a video about Rocky below!
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