A dog is closing in on 1,500 days at an animal shelter and, sadly, it’s beginning to show.
Lucky the Labrador Retriever’s situation first came to light after staff at the Ady Gil World Conservation (AGWC) Rockin’ Rescue Animal Adoption Center in California posted a video to TikTok under the handle @agwcrockinrescue earlier this month, highlighting how long he had been there.
By that time, Lucky had been waiting 1,482 days to find a forever home to call his own. Now he is just two weeks away from racking up 1,500 days there.
The sad reality is that Lucky really hasn’t had all that much luck in his life to date. “Lucky came to us on June 29, 2021,” Fabienne Origer from AGWC Rockin’ Rescue told Newsweek.
“He was originally rescued from a neglect situation, and although we don’t know every detail about his past, it’s clear he didn’t receive much love or structure before arriving here.”
Despite those difficult beginnings, Lucky has emerged as a favorite among staff at AGWC, with Origer describing him as “incredibly intelligent, loyal and eager to please.”
“Some of Lucky’s favorite things include going for walks, playing fetch, and spending time with the people he trusts,” Origer said. “He’s also a big fan of enrichment toys and mental stimulation—he’s the kind of dog who thrives when he has a job to do.”
Sadly, Lucky has not garnered much in the way of interest from visitors to the shelter.
“Lucky has struggled to get adopted mainly because he needs experienced dog owners and a home without small children,” Origer said. “He takes a bit of time to trust new people, and that initial hesitation can be challenging in a shelter setting where first impressions are everything.”
Shelter dogs have the smallest of windows in which to catch the eye of a visitor. One 2014 study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science found that the average shelter visitor interacts with just one dog per visit, and that these interactions last an average of eight minutes.
That’s not enough time for Lucky. He needs someone with patience. Someone willing to put in the time. It’s worth it though. “Once he bonds with someone, he’s all in—devoted and affectionate,” Origer said.
Until that someone comes along though, Lucky has little choice but to watch and wait from the confines of the shelter. It’s a situation that has clearly had an impact, with Lucky appearing nervous and withdrawn in the video posted to TikTok by AGWC.
“He’s starting to lose hope and becoming depressed,” a caption accompanying the footage warns.
“Spending over 1,400 days without a home has definitely taken a toll on Lucky,” Origer said. “While we do everything we can to give him the best life possible at the rescue, nothing compares to the stability, routine, and love that a forever home can provide. He deserves that.”
Though Lucky may have given up hope of finding that forever home he so desperately needs, the AGWC hasn’t and, after four years together, have a clear idea of the kind of home he would be best suited to.
“Lucky would do best in a calm, adult-only home with someone who has experience handling larger breeds and is willing to go at his pace,” Origer said. “He needs someone who understands that trust takes time—but once it’s earned, it’s for life.”
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