06/13/2024
This little guy is why I run so many checks on potential adopters. Even if the adopter seems great on paper, I still listen to my gut. If anything seems off in any way, I will choose what I think is best for the dog.
Koko here was at a shelter that is VERY rural. He didn't really have much of a chance of adoption. So, I took him out for a video. He was such a perfect little angel. So sweet, but scared. So cuddly, but timid.
Someone wanted to adopt him. I did all the checks. Everything seemed ok, but my gut said no. But he wasn't in my custody. I hadn't started Home of Misfit Pets yet. I was told to adopt him out unless I was keeping him for myself.
The person didn't keep one single promise about his care. She promised he'd be inside except for walks. He was kept outside on a tiny porch/balcony. He escaped. The adopter contacted me saying he had just run off. I dropped everything and ran to help him. The more she talked, though, the more I noticed her lies. He had already been missing more than 24 hours. On top of that, she couldn't be bothered to look for him because she wanted to go to a party that night.
That was a Sunday. I searched all day and into the night. Monday, I contacted the lost pets group for the area where he was supposed to have a loving home. Other people started looking. I was out all day and half the night. I never found him. Tuesday, I was out there again. Wednesday, I received a call from the person who ran the lost pets group. He had been found on probably the busiest street in the city. He was hit by a car. He didn't make it.
In all that time, I seached and searched. I called in favors. I begged for help finding him. The adopter didn't give a rat's ass.
If you apply to adopt a dog and one of my checks comes back bad or I get a bad feeling in my gut, I will do what I believe is best for that dog. I will NEVER let what happened to Koko happen again.
