Three-year-old American Staffordshire terrier mix Diamond has found herself back at a shelter in Florida, despite two years spent residing in a loving home.
Reluctantly returned due to allergies in the family, Diamond is confused to find herself back at square one, searching for a new home.
“When she came in, she was considered underweight and needs some extra care to help her regain some weight,” a spokesperson at the Humane Society of Broward County, Florida, told Newsweek.
“Poor Diamond doesn’t understand why she’s back at our shelter,” the Humane Society said in a post on Facebook.
Friendly with everyone she meets, Diamond is good with kids, adults and other dogs, and will even let you dress her up.
Humane Society of Broward County
Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, for an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 last January, an increase of 1,744 compared to January 2022, 24Petwatch’s Shelter Watch Report found.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs and behavior rehabilitation.
Previous research suggests that animals are returned to shelters following adoption in between 7 and 20 percent of cases. Returns occur for a variety of reasons, although behavior is cited as the most-common reason for return of both dogs and cats.
The Humane Society in Florida is now looking for a new home for Diamond, organizing several dog-meet events to help her meet potential adopters.
“We would suggest she be in a home with no cats since she likes to chase them,” the shelter said.
“Diamond needs a family who will make her feel safe and loved. This darling girl doesn’t understand why her life had to change, but she is hoping you will give her the second chance she so deserves,” the shelter added on Facebook.
After sharing her story online, people were stunned to see that she had been returned to the shelter.
“So sad,” wrote one commenter on Facebook. “I pray a deserving family adopts this beauty.”
A second user posted: “She’s beautiful. Poor baby. I hope her perfect forever person finds her very soon.”
Diamond’s ideal home would be one filled with love, where she can continue to thrive and be an integral part of a caring family.
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.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.