Shelter dog was the only one not adopted at Florida event. Then, man ‘fell in love’
A shelter dog was the only one not adopted at a Florida event — but the situation was “meant to be,” an animal shelter said.
That’s because a man who lost another pet felt called to go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay a couple of days after the event. He visited the overlooked dog, “fell in love with her kindness and sweet face and knew she would be perfect for their family,” the shelter wrote Feb. 17 in a Facebook post.
Now, the dog — Patricia the 4-year-old terrier — has a new home.
“Patricia is a shining example of how even, in the rarest of circumstances even though you’re last you can still come in first,” the Humane Society wrote. “After all, that is where the heart shines best.”
After Patricia arrived at the shelter as a stray in January, she was one of 15 animals available for adoption at its recent Bark in the Park event. The 14 other animals found homes, leaving only Patricia without a new owner.
But the dog’s luck took a turn two days later. A couple “recently lost their pet and felt the loss when they saw Patricia on the website and wanted to meet her,” the animal organization wrote.
Then the husband went to the shelter and couldn’t get enough of the dog, leading to her next chapter. Facebook users were fans of Patricia’s heartwarming adoption story, which garnered more than 600 reactions in about three days.
“She was so friendly with everyone and loved to sit and relax and people-watch,” a shelter spokesperson told McClatchy News in an email. “She was a staff and volunteer favorite because she always had a smile and was just so loving, everyone was so happy to see her find her forever!”
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Shelter dog was the only one not adopted at Florida event. Then, man ‘fell in love’."
