As a puppy, 6-year-old Merrick was abandoned at a garage sale. He had a very large abscess on his face and needed corrective surgery. From the very beginning, the poor boy had to face many difficulties.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been smooth sailing since then. Bring to Kansas City Humane Society, Merrick waited and waited for someone to take him home well. He waited there for more than 5 years.
Merrick spent more than 2,000 days living at the Kansas City Humane Society. His need to be the only animal in a home and the fact that he lived most of his life in a shelter deterred many potential adopters. Small children make Merrick uncomfortable because he has so little contact with them, and he has so much strength and energy that he can surpass small children.
“Merrick is a sporty guy and his play is quite strong. It’s all fun and he’s never aggressive with people, but he plays hard! “-Merrick’s Petfinder Page
However, Merrick’s playful personality and desire to be loved should have been enough for him to be adopted. For more than five and a half years, that’s not the case.
Finally, Jordan Nussbaum and his girlfriend Amy adopted Merrick on March 4, 2020.
“It’s love at lightning. What they want is someone without kids who has a lot of energy to keep up with him because he’s a big dog. But he’s still a puppy.”Guardians)
The shelter’s staff and volunteers all lined up to see their oldest living person join his new family. They made celebratory signs and carried balloons.
Many were in tears as he jumped into the back seat of his new car, so did I when I watched this sweet video of his passing:
https://www.facebook.com/HSGKC/videos/516961479216196/
One final ranking made
Merrick endured dozens of photo shoots and video recordings as part of the social media campaign to find him a home. People have shared the dog’s story with each other from afar, but many years have passed and it still hasn’t been adopted.
The campaign didn’t seem too successful until a kind benefactor actually stepped forward to help. Scott Poore sponsored a $3000 billboard showing Merrick’s photo. Poor ownership Motivational missiona clothing company based in Kansas that provides assistance to animal shelters.
“You’ve spent your whole life living in an animal shelter, but that’s all about to change. This coming weekend, we’ll have a billboard with your face on it, and thousands of people have dug into your story. You may be homeless, but you have a small army of supporters behind you and I promise we will find your hero. Every pet in the shelter has a hero and we’ll definitely find you! 1700 days and going on…” – Scott Poore, Mission Driven via Facebook
The billboard went up in late November 2019. The plan was to move the billboard to a different location in Kansas City each week and maximize visibility. Via Mission Driven’s Facebook pagePoore emphasized how much it meant to him to get this dog out of the shelter.
“I have been trying everything for the past four years to find this beautiful boy a permanent home and I have had no luck. He spent his life in an animal shelter and I refuse to let him enter 2020 still homeless. He is my number 1 priority”.
Thanks to the billboard, thousands of people see this handsome boy’s face every day.
“It’s unbelievable what a difficult process it is. We told the same story to the same audience for those five and a half years, but when Mission Driven bought the billboard, we reached a whole new audience.”
Massive advertising really becomes a powerful tool. A billboard in Kansas City and an image of Merrick caught Nussbaum’s eye. He convinces his girlfriends (though it’s certainly not difficult) they have to adopt this dog. The rest is history!
Home At Last, Forever
The Humane Society shared on Facebook how moved they feel for Merrick, despite being saddened to see him go.
“Merrick has found his perfect match — his new mom and dad, Jordan and Amy, are everything he could have wished for and more! We can’t be thrilled, excited, proud or thanked to everyone who shared our stories.”
From my observations, they seem quite right about this family being his perfect match. Nussbaum has arrived! Good Morning America about his beloved new dog.
“He’s a cuddler, he’s a licker, he knows nothing but love.”
They even set up a Facebook page for Merrick so his fans can follow fun updates about his new life!
It’s hard to believe that a dog like this has spent even a day in a shelter, let alone years. However, we can all rest happily (after wiping away these tears of joy) knowing how wonderful Merrick’s life is from now on! And it helps to know how many people like Poore really care.
H/T: Guardians
Featured pictures:@ MissionDrivenGoods / Facebook
