Heartbroken Puppy Repeatedly Returned to Shelter After Failed Adoptions

Animal lovers have been left heartbroken by a dog who has already been adopted and returned to the shelter twice in her young life.

Sophia was first adopted from the Hearts for Paws Rescue in California earlier this year, as a three-month-old puppy. But just months later, she was returned “through no fault of her own.”

The shelter and Sophia felt luck was on their side when she was adopted again in October, but it proved “short-lived,” and not the forever home they were all hoping for.

Sophia is now back at the shelter, and as a staff member wrote in a devastating Instagram post to their @heartsforpawsrescue account, she is “a different dog this time. You could see the light dimming in her eyes.”

In a video shared on October 12, which has over 32,000 likes, Sophia can be seen sitting in a crate, still and silent, and only occasionally meeting the staff member’s eyes.

They wrote on the video: “We went to the shelter and saw one of our favorite dogs had just been returned. She seemed so different from the happy dog we had taken out last month.”

In the caption, they revealed Sophia is now experiencing “kennel stress” after being returned to the shelter, and described her as “sweet, gentle, heeled on a leash and … so eager for love.

“She is a young dog who has now experienced shelter life 3 [times].”

Staff member Sam Camarra explained to Newsweek that Sophia didn’t recognize the shelter workers who had tried so hard to bring her out of her shell, and was acting “severely depressed.” With no foster carer available to take her in, they had no choice but to leave her in the kennels.

Instagram users were heartbroken by the video and Sophia’s story, with one person sharing their own adoption story: “Adopting a dog that was returned to the shelter twice has been the greatest life decision I have made so far.”

Another tried to find the silver lining, writing: “This sucks but I can only imagine that she just knew that the family wasn’t right for her and I pray she lands in a patient place where she can acclimate and thrive.”

And as one wrote: “Poor Sophia, may the next home be the perfect one, with the softest beds and love galore.”

While Sophia still gets along with other dogs in the shelter, she apparently was “not meshing well” with the other dog in her previous home, and any potential adopters are now asked to bring their dogs along to meet Sophia before any final decision is made.

They pleaded: “Let’s help Sophia find her real forever home this time.”

Camarra told Newsweek that Sophia’s story has touched so many people, gaining millions of views, but there were still no offers of adoption or fostering. Until, finally, someone stepped forward to foster her.

Sophia is now “decompressing” in a foster home, but is still looking for a chance to be someone’s forever dog. The shelter praised her as a “dream dog for the right home,” as she loves car rides, playing with other dogs, and was raised in her first home alongside a child and a cat.

Her ideal adopter will be someone who can handle a young, energetic dog, and she will be best placed in a home with older children. She may get along with other pets, but the shelter encourages a meeting between them first to see how they get along.

Sophia’s story isn’t unique; an estimated 6.3 million animals enter shelters across the United States each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

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