An animal shelter has put out an urgent call for help after revealing that one of its dogs has had no interest from potential adopters for more than 260 days.
Scooby originally came to Great Plains SPCA in 2019 as a stray. A large dog, he weighs about 70 pounds and is thought to be a boxer and Great Dane mix.
He was adopted out but showed up in another area as a stray in November 2022, and was subsequently transferred back to Great Plains.
Back at the shelter, nobody has expressed an interest in taking care of Scooby for almost a year.
Great Plains SPCA
“Scooby is a large dog with lots of energy. He does not do well with other animals. Both of these things contribute significantly to this lack of interest,” Tracy Lewandowski told Newsweek. “Not everyone can manage a large, active dog and dog lovers frequently have other pets.”
Almost five years old, Scooby is easy to walk on a leash and loves cuddling on the couch. Still waiting for the right forever home, Kansas City Current women’s soccer team have even reached out to support the as yet unwanted dog.
Scooby will be the team’s Mascot of the Match for KC Current vs. Angel City FC on Friday, September 1.
While Scooby’s predicament is sad, Lewandowski said it wasn’t unusual.
“This is unfortunately very common. We have also found that adopters have very low thresholds of tolerance for pets and little patience for taking time to train them,” she said. “Recently we have seen dogs returned within 24 hours after adoption for having accidents in the house. We had a dog that got sick in the car on the way home from its adoption and it was returned within 30 minutes.”
Despite being a very laid-back dog, Scooby finds shelter life difficult, and as yet nobody with the right situation has come forward to adopt him.
Great Plains SPCA
“We are very fortunate that one of our loyal fosters who fosters many of our large dogs has taken Scooby into her home on a temporary basis. She has had him for just a few days but says he is sweet and affectionate and learning his new routine,” said Lewandowski.
Scooby’s ideal home is one with no children, or with older and calm children, and no other pets. His adopter should be comfortable handling a large, energetic dog and be willing to work with Scooby.
By sharing an appeal for the perfect adopter for Scooby, the shelter hopes that his story will have a happy ending.
“Our hope is that there is a special person out there who maybe lost a beloved pet recently or just hasn’t heard about Scooby yet and sees him—maybe when they read this article—and falls in love and gives Scooby his forever home,” said Lewandowski. “Scooby has so much love to give in return.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.