Big Mac is a one-and-a-half-year-old dog who arrived at the McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was nervous around new people so the staff knew it would take for awhile before he got adopted.
The dog wasn’t exactly trusting of anyone leading to the staff wondering what his former living conditions was like.
But Big Mac would still show signs of his big personality.
“He did warm up with treats and when he was out of the kennel and in the play yard,” Lauren Mann, advancement manager at the shelter, told The Dodo.
Big Mac’s former owner brought him to the shelter back in December 2020. They were moving and sadly, no longer had the time for him.
The poor, abandoned dog became the resident loner at the McKamey Animal Center.
According to Mann, dogs can stay at the shelter for a few days or up to longer periods of time if difficulties arise. Big Mac wasn’t difficult, he just wasn’t trusting.
“Big Mac suffered from what we call ‘stranger danger, so he was very cautious of new people and environments. He wasn’t the typical ‘I want to kiss your face’ dog right off the bat for people, which was attributed to his longer length of stay.”
Big Mac was fostered three times by different families. They were often temporary arrangements for this good boy.
It seemed like the dog was due for another long stay. Until Mann fell in love with Big Mac and decided to adopt him!
“When my coworker took him in to foster, she said the first night he slept, like, 12 hours straight, and just really opened up and wanted to play with her other dog and even wanted to play with the cats,” Mann said. “[He] really made a 180 and was a great dog overall.”
The shelter worker’s dog even befriended Big Mac so he could learn to trust others again. Slowly but surely, with the help of his friend, Big Mac began to open up.
“Her resident dog took him under his wing, and when they were out for a walk and he’d get a little scared, her dog would be like, ‘No, it’s OK.’ And he’d show him that it was OK and people could be trusted,” Mann said.
Mann and her friends knew that Big Mac leaving the shelter was a big occasion. They had to make it special!
So they lined up at the entrance to give this adorable dog a standing ovation as he marched out the doors of a place he called home for a year. Big Mac deserved all of it!
“His new mom was surprised that he handled it so well, which shows that he’s doing a lot better with stranger danger,” Mann said. “He was just ready to go … he didn’t really care about treats or pets or anything. He was just ready to go home.”
Big Mac found a new home and this time it’s forever! Watch his happily ever after as he leaves the shelter with his mom!
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