Shelter Dog Spent A Year Watching People Walk Right By Her Cage Until One Video Got Posted Online
A beautiful American Staffordshire mix, Sophie looked like she’d be the perfect pet for any dog-loving family. But unfortunately, she found herself cooped up inside an animal shelter for months on end, spending her days wistfully peering out of a kennel. Despite her longing gazes, there weren’t any takers, which eventually spurred the staff into action. After close to a year in their care, they decided to create a video that would go on to change Sophie’s life forever.
Meeting Sophie
Sophie’s journey began back in April 2022. At that point, she was welcomed at Seminole County Animal Services, which can be found in Sanford, Florida. Now, she wasn’t the youngest of dogs when she came in, with her seventh birthday on the horizon. Yet the staff absolutely adored her enthusiasm and desire to make friends. Sophie wasn’t an introvert in the slightest! So surely someone would be willing to scoop the dog up and take her to her new forever home?
A helping hand
Well, as we noted earlier, that sadly didn’t happen for Sophie. Before she knew it, the American Staffordshire mix became one of the long-term members at the shelter, unable to catch the attention of any potential adopter. That must’ve been tough for the cute pooch, right? It certainly hurt the staff at the facility, who struggled to get their heads around it. Why did no one want her? Following months of disappointment, they came up with an idea to help.
“A sweet older girl”
Using the shelter’s Facebook page, the workers dropped a post about Sophie in January 2023 hoping that it would attract some takers. It read, “She’s a sweet older girl, with soulful eyes and a beautiful gray coat. Sophie is a volunteer favorite at Seminole County Animal Services. Those who have taken her out on walks describe her as curious, strong, friendly, and in need of a bit of work on a leash. But as said, despite this, she’s a favorite.”
No takers
Alongside that message, some lovely photos of Sophie were posted as well. And she looked so adorable in those shots! How could you not fall in love with that precious face? The post certainly gained a bit of traction on Facebook, earning over 320 likes and more than 200 shares. But sadly, it didn’t work — the dog remained in her kennel at the shelter and continued to wait for someone to adopt her. It made for a pretty heartbreaking sight.
Major renovations
While there was a clear drive to help Sophie find a forever home and a loving family, the staff also had other motives, too. You see, not long after that social media message was posted, the shelter’s Veterinary and Adoption areas were set to undergo a major renovation. As a result, the animals were going to experience a lot of upheaval, with 50 percent of the kennels temporarily closing. How would dogs such as Sophie react to all of that?
“Organized chaos”
Touching on the work that was being done, Bree Burkett spoke to the News 6 website in January 2023. She’s the Adoption Coordinator at the shelter. Bree noted, “We’re getting new doors, they’re redoing the floors and the walls, so it’s safer and cleaner for us and the animals to live on. It’s organized chaos pretty much. We’re having to make do with what we have.” Due to the upheaval, Sophie and the rest of the canines up for adoption were moved into trailers supplied by Pet Alliance.
“Grateful”
“We are grateful for all of the outsources that we’ve had to do with the trailers,” Bree continued. “Pet Alliance lets us use their mobile spay and neuter trailer so we can continue to do surgeries and get dogs out and adopted.” With roughly 160 canines under their care, it was a lot of work! Yet for Sophie, her situation didn’t change. She remained at the shelter throughout the renovations, with the added complication of staying in a new place.
What to expect when adopting a dog
Now, while Sophie was more than eager to find a human family, we can understand why folks might take their time when looking to adopt a dog. After all, it’s a significant step that’ll completely transform your life. So what should you expect if you return from a shelter with a new furry friend by your side? Well, according to Best Friends Animal Society’s Julie Castle, there will be a period of adjustment for everyone during those initial days and weeks.
“Need time”
Castle went into more detail on that front while speaking to the Reader’s Digest website in March 2023. The animal expert explained, “Even coming from a great shelter or a wonderful foster home, a newly adopted dog has been through a lot of changes. When they are adopted, dogs need time to decompress, learn a new routine, meet new human and animal friends, master the rules and feel safe and secure in their new home.” Makes sense, wouldn’t you agree?
Important considerations
But for the adopters, there’s lots to consider before it even gets to that stage. Will you have the time to care for the dog during the week? Are you prepared to train them if needs be? The cost also needs to be factored in, too — some adoptions can set you back by up to $350. On top of that, vet Nicole Savageau told Reader’s Digest, “It’s important for people to meet their new pet in person before exchanging money.”
“Fall in love with a pet in need”
“So we urge people to stop by their local shelter or rescue group to fall in love with a pet in need,” Dr. Savageau added. Sophie wasn’t as fortunate in that respect, with folks breezing past her kennel on a regular basis. We can only imagine how hard that was for her, in addition to seeing other dogs getting chosen. Yet while there’s no denying that she was well looked after at Seminole County Animal Services, not all canines get that lucky at different facilities.
Life at a shelter
Yes, life at an animal shelter can be far from ideal for certain dogs. Depending on the circumstances of how they ended up there, some can experience a complete change in personality. For instance, lingering feelings of anxiety from being “abandoned” by their former families can lead to an unwanted shift in their overall demeanor. Plus, workers don’t always have the time to shower the dogs with attention, which can add to the issues. That’s especially true at overcrowded facilities.
A horrible issue
And when shelters struggle to keep their populations under control, that can result in the euthanasia of some of the animals. It’s a horrible thought, but it happens. According to Castle, 355,000 cats and dogs were put down in America in 2021 for that reason. She told Reader’s Digest, “It was the first time in five years that we’ve seen the number of dogs and cats killed in U.S. shelters rise.” The folks at Seminole County Animal Services recognize the issue and are eager to avoid it.
“Biggest fear”
Speaking to News 6 in March 2023 the facility’s program coordinator, Diane Gagliano, admitted, “Here in a shelter situation, the biggest fear is overcrowding. We don’t like to [euthanize our animals]. We are here for the benefit of the animal. We do [have] great animals and the staff is ready to help and find you the right dog or cat.” Now, while there’s nothing to suggest that Sophie was in danger of that, her continued stay at the shelter was a concern.
Age factor?
Why wouldn’t anyone take a chance on the gorgeous American Staffordshire mix? Well, her age might’ve been an issue here. As we noted earlier, Sophie is seven years old now, and older dogs do struggle to get people’s attention in shelters — especially compared to young pups. That may seem extremely unfair on the surface, but potential adopters do need to weigh up some important factors when looking at mature canines. How’s their health? Will they be willing to adapt to a new home?
Plenty of benefits
At the same time, though, there’s plenty of benefits to welcoming an older shelter dog into your family. It normally doesn’t take that long for them to settle, and in most cases they should be better trained than their younger counterparts. The elder pooches can also be fairly chill outside of their daily walks. That’s ideal for anyone who feels like they wouldn’t be able to cope with an energetic pup. So furry friends in Sophie’s age-range do have a lot to offer.
The next steps
But what else could the guys at Seminole County Animal Services do to help Sophie’s cause? Beyond social media messages, did they have anything else up their sleeves? That brings us to March 2023. At that point, the work on the shelter had finally been completed and the dogs could return their kennels on the site. “It does kind of make you walk in and smile,” Diane beamed to News 6. “Because before it really needed painting, the floors were terrible. It wasn’t as pleasant as it is now.”
An intriguing plan
Sophie was back among familiar surroundings with her fellow canine friends, ahead of an unfortunate milestone. Yep, she was closing in on her one-year anniversary at Seminole County Animal Services, which prompted Bree and company to come up with an intriguing plan. Instead of writing up another post on social media to garner interest in adopting the dog, they wanted to do something a little different. So, the workers grabbed a camera and made their way into Sophie’s spruced up kennel.
A time-lapse video
After a little bit of set-up, the camera was positioned in the far corner, giving us a view of Sophie’s “home” at the shelter. What was the plan here, then? Well, the staff wanted to put together a time-lapse video showing what the American Staffordshire got up to when visitors toured the kennels. From there, they’d share the results on Seminole County Animal Services’ Facebook page. Bree shed a bit more light on the situation during a chat with WESH 2 News in March 2023.
“My chance”
Bree said, “As soon as people walk through, [the dogs] all light up. They start barking, they get excited, they start jumping around thinking, ‘Oh this is my chance to get out of the kennel!’ And then to see their poor little faces once people walk out and it gets quiet again. [We made the time-lapse video] just to showcase that [Sophie] has been sitting in a kennel for almost a year, and people just walk right by her cage all the time.”
“Don’t even stop to say, ‘Hi’”
“Some people don’t even stop to say, ‘Hi,’” Bree continued. “They just walk right by her.” All of that was captured in heartbreaking detail across the video. Whenever a person approached or was close to the kennel, Sophie would stand up and walk over to the door, hoping they’d notice her. On most occasions, though, the poor pooch was left disappointed, as she despondently headed back inside. It makes for very painful viewing, even if you aren’t the biggest dog-lover.
The goal
Imagine dealing with that disappointment for nearly 12 months. It’s remarkable that Sophie managed to maintain her lovable demeanor throughout all that time at the shelter. As for Bree’s goals regarding the video, she had a clear aim in mind. The animal worker added, “We’re hoping that this will help her get adopted. And if she gets adopted, then maybe [it’ll] bring people in to see some of the other dogs that have been here for an extended period of time.”
“Plenty of pep in her step”
Would it work, though? Well, the staff posted the time-lapse video on March 30, 2023. In addition to that, a sobering message was written up, too. It read, “Sophie has nearly been at Seminole County Animal Services for one year. A whole year in a kennel. At seven years old she is constantly overlooked in favor of other, younger dogs. But how can anyone look into her eyes and not fall in love? This sweet, soulful girl still has plenty of pep in her step.”
People took notice
The message then concluded, “We’d hate to have Sophie hit her one-year mark. But this Saturday, that’s exactly what will happen, unless she finds a home. Don’t leave her in her kennel, begging for attention, any longer.” Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the post to garner a lot of attention on Facebook. Users clamored to offer their thoughts in the comments section, with some asking various questions about Sophie. A good start, wouldn’t you say? Folks seemed very interested.
“Such an adorable girl”
Meanwhile, others just wanted to post their best wishes to the beautiful American Staffordshire mix after watching the video. One user wrote, “I hope [Sophie] gets adopted soon! One year in a kennel with loud barking dogs is traumatizing. Poor baby.” Another person then penned, “Just make sure the adopter is as great as you all [are]. She needs a committed, tender, loving, caring forever home, she’s such an adorable girl.” So the support was clearly there — but the wait continued.
A huge update
Could Sophie find her forever home before hitting the one-year anniversary at the shelter? Time was certainly tight! Well, as Facebook users continued to flock towards the Seminole County Animal Services post, the facility shared a different message on March 31, 2023. Yep, just 24 hours after the time-lapse video dropped on social media, the staff had a pivotal update on the situation. And it was wonderful news for all concerned. Finally, the long wait had come to an end.
“We did it!”
The shelter’s post read, “Success for Sophie. We did it! After 364 days living at Seminole County Animal Services, Sophie has found a home. Thanks to ALL of you, our dedicated animal lovers, for sharing and spreading the story of Sophie. Her new dad saw her on social media and just had to have her. Best wishes to Sophie, and thanks for adopting.” A lovely photo of the pair was included as well — and it’s fair to say that Sophie looked absolutely delighted!
All smiles
Yes, Sophie was sporting the biggest doggie smile you’re ever likely to see. And her new owner matched it! That heartwarming update earned over 2,300 likes and more than 100 shares on the social media website, while also generating close to 700 comments. One read, “This news made my day! It breaks my heart that this beautiful fur baby was continually overlooked. God bless you sir for choosing Sophie. I hope she’ll bring you extreme joy. I know you did that very thing for her.”
“Tears of joy”
One more comment stood out, though. A user wrote, “I’m crying. [I’m] so happy for that girl. Thank you to everyone that loved her from afar. As a volunteer that saw her virtually every week, tears of joy are running down my cheeks. Sophie is going to finally feel the sun on her back every day!” We get the feeling that a few tears were probably shed at the shelter, too! Bree and company had accomplished their mission. But with all the other dogs in the kennels, their hard work isn’t over yet.
