This poor dog named Higgins had been in a shelter for 2,381 days and no one noticed him until he met Brendon.
When Higgins first came to the shelter, he was a young pup and he was immediately adopted. Sadly, it wouldn’t be his forever home. In 2012, Higgins returned to the shelter.
Apparently, in his first house, they left him chained to a doghouse. He was re-adopted, and a year later someone walked into the shelter with a stray dog, and it was him, said Leslie Renner, executive director of the Humane Society of Preble County in Ohio.
She told The Dodo:
Nobody came to get him, nobody cared.
After 2381 days, Higgins is adopted
Time and time again, Leslie would hear the same phrase when the subject of Higgins came up: “Why don’t you put him to sleep?”
The shelter’s oldest resident had spent most of her life behind kennel bars, but Leslie wasn’t going to give up until she found Higgins a forever home.
More importantly, Higgins also didn’t want to give up on finding a home.
This dog was more comfortable without other animals around, which limited his pool of potential adopters. Leslie knew she had to be patient until the right person showed up, but time and again poor Higgins was ignored.
Leslie said:
People are looking for puppies or dogs that are 6 months old. When he came back he was a year old, then two, then three.
After so long in the shelter, prospective adopters assumed there was something wrong with Higgins. Otherwise, why would he stay there year after year?
Then, on Higgins Day 2,381 at the shelter, Brendon Reed, a 22-year-old who had just gotten his first home, came in and said:
I’m here to bring Higgins home.
Leslie was surprised.
After seeing Higgins’ photo online and hearing about his story, Brendon knew Higgins was the only dog for him.
He said :
He was just a beautiful dog. He just looked so cute…I don’t know how he wasn’t adopted.
After six and a half years, Higgins finally enjoys sleeping on the couch, watching TV, running around in his own garden and rolling around in the grass.
Higgins is now learning what it means to have a dad who loves him and makes him feel safe every day.
For more on Higgins’ adventures, you can follow him on Snapchat @higginsdoggo.
Images: Brendon Reed