‘Sweet’ dog had lost two homes already. Then family saw her and ‘knew she was the one’
A “sweet” shelter dog lost two of her past homes — then a new family saw her story and “knew she was the one.”
“She has such a perfect forever home with Casey and Lindsay Westbrook,” the Mississippi Animal Rescue League wrote Sept. 29 on Facebook. “They fell in love with her at their meet and greet.”
Lucy started her next chapter with the Westbrooks after her previous homes didn’t work out. At first, she lived in a quiet home, where she was the “center of attention.”
“Her world was shaken when her human mom took ill and was moved to a nursing home,” the Jackson-based shelter wrote. “Her human dad having the responsibility of caring for his wife at the nursing home and trying to take on the care of their home was no longer able to give Lucy the the care she needed.”
Then Lucy landed at a new home, where she was “scared and confused” at first. Those owners were caring for an older family member and felt they didn’t have enough time to devote to the 1-year-old golden retriever mix.
“We understand that circumstances happen in life,” spokesperson Debra Boswell told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “Like with Lucy, her situations — both of (them) — were not planned.”
Boswell said the pup’s families didn’t have much of a choice and believes her latest owners made the “right” decision to give her up. But she struggled when she transitioned to the shelter.
“Her entire body trembled when she was surrendered to the shelter and she couldn’t even be coaxed to walk on her leash to the receiving kennels,” the animal organization wrote Sept. 23 on social media. “She was carried to the foster’s vehicle and brought to a home because the noises and sounds was just too much for her.”
As Lucy waited in foster care, she was showing signs of separation anxiety. The shelter hoped the “gentle” pup would be matched with a patient new owner who would help her gain confidence.
Then, a few days after Lucy’s story was posted online, the shelter shared the heartwarming update that she had been adopted. Several Facebook users chimed in to celebrate the good news.
“Sometimes, the magic happens when the time is right,” the shelter wrote. “Casey and Lindsay had a 14 year old lab they loved dearly but since their loss the time wasn’t right .....until this week when they read Lucy’s story and knew she was the one. We certainly believe Casey and Lindsay are the ones for this precious, special girl.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2024 at 3:01 PM.
