Capone is a senior Pit Bull. He has been waiting for a forever home. His shelter mates have all found homes, but Capone was either ignored or put back in his kennel after a brief meeting with staff and volunteers. They knew he deserved to find his forever home and make it out of the shelter alive.’
Image Source Credit: Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
It broke the shelter team’s heart: “For quite some time Capone was the only dog we had in the shelter,” Carly Quinn, the director of the Ionia County Animal Shelter, told The Dodo. “All the kennels were empty, except for sweet, quiet, kind Capone.”
Capone was adopted from the shelter but returned after he began fighting with another dog at his new home. Capone became very depressed and stopped eating.
Image Source Credit: Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
“He lost quite a bit of weight as he just did not have the appetite he did in his home,” Quinn noted. “It was very hard to get him to eat. We had to coax him daily with treats and assorted wet foods.”
Everybody could see that he lost a piece of himself and just lost his appetite.
Image Source Credit: Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
“He was heartbroken,” Quinn said, “and anyone who has felt true heartbreak understands how proper diet takes the back seat.”
Having been adopted and then returned to the shelter changed Capone. “The Capone we met in 2017 and the Capone wet met in 2018 were two different dogs,” said NSC Director Jon Peddie. ” Quinn said. “After he was surrendered the second time, it seemed like he picked and chose his friends as if he truly felt betrayed. He became very attached to us shelter staff.”
“He is a ‘velcro dog,’” Quinn added. “A dog who loves to be right next to you, always touching you.”
Image Source Credit: Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
Quinn checked their Facebook page and saw a message from a couple interested in Capone. “They had fallen in love with his pictures and his story,” Quinn said. “[When] they came into our shelter later that day, they had already gone to the pet store and made him a custom name tag with his name and their information.”
The staff at the shelter only wanted Capone to be adopted out to a home where he was the only dog. This proved more challenging than they thought it would be.
The staff of a shelter in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, shared a photo of Capone on their Facebook page. They hoped that someone would see him and adopt him. They were even more determined to get Capone placed after the shelter had to relocate due to construction work. He did not deserve to be left behind especially when he was so lovable and playful.
Image Source Credit: Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
Quinn checked their Facebook page and saw a message from a couple interested in Capone. “They had fallen in love with his pictures and his story,” Quinn said. “[When] they came into our shelter later that day, they had already gone to the pet store and made him a custom name tag with his name and their information.”
But everyone was so nervous! Since his second surrender, Capone had become quite picky about who he liked and who he preferred to stay away from. What if he didn’t like his new potential parents?
Quinn practically held her breath. She walked Capone over to meet the couple with her fingers crossed. Quinn said, “As I walked into the lobby with Capone, he stopped and looked at Jon and Ashlee for a while. They both knelt down and Capone ran right into their arms.”
“It was truly a tearjerker,” Quinn added.
Image Source Credit: Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
Even when Capone left, the staff was a mess. They were so nervous he would come back. But as time went on, and the staff checked in on Capone, they realized he DID get his happily ever after. Just look at him in his new home with that peaceful sleepy smile
Image Source Credit: Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
“Look at that smile,” shelter volunteer Sammie Vincent wrote on Facebook. “Us shelter staff actually cried tears of joy for Capone.”