Every dog’s shelter is different. Some are accepted as soon as they are on the website while others have to wait years. However, it’s unlikely that many dogs have stayed in a shelter longer than Jill, the white Pit Bull.
Jill was found as a stray puppy, and she spent the next ten years of her life waiting for someone to adopt her. She was loved at home, but she always dreamed of more. Some dogs may eventually give up hope, but Jill has always believed her perfect home is out there. Turns out, all the wait was worth it!
Ten long years
When Jill was only a year old, she contracted heartworm disease and roamed the streets of Texas. The Clay County Animal Shelter took her in, and since they were a no-kill shelter, they vowed to keep her until she was adopted.
But Jill’s adoption date ended up being a lot further away than they thought. For ten years, Jill waited patiently. She’s had a few people interested in her over the years, but it always fails.
“We’ve had some applications for Jill before, but because she’s such a geek, a lot of landlords don’t let them have her. Since it was difficult to find a family for her, and this is a no-kill shelter, it became her home, and the laborers became her family, ‘ said Bonnie Stone, the shelter’s manager.
In 2019, one person even took Jill home for a few months, but they gave her back. The shelter warned them that Jill was a fence climber, but they left her outside unsupervised. So when they couldn’t handle her adventurous spirit, they brought her back, and her search continued.
An acceptance worth the wait!
In July 2022, Keelie Blassingame decided she wanted to adopt a dog. She is very fond of older dogs, so when she met Jill, she knew it meant something.
“All the other dogs are so sweet [Jill] just naturally attracted towards me. I just know that a lot of the time, older dogs don’t get adopted very often, so that’s one of the main reasons I wanted to adopt an older dog,” Blassingame said.
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It was a bittersweet ending for shelter workers. Of course, they are overjoyed when Jill is adopted, but they will also miss her very much. She spent ten years in that shelter, so she became a family to them.
Blassingame hopes the adoption of Jill will help remind people that senior dogs can be great companions. Jill already seemed happy and comfortable with her new self. Now, she’ll be able to live the rest of her days pampered as much as she can!
“My problem is that she was adopted on July 4, Independence Day. Jill got her Independence! ‘ said Stone.
Featured pictures: Facebook
