Dog Who Suffered Triple Adoption Heartbreak Gets New Chance at Happiness

A shelter dog who suffered the unprecedented heartbreak of being three times adopted and returned is hoping it’s fourth-time lucky after securing a new forever home.

For the longest time, the Valley Animal Center in Fresno, California, was about as close to a home as Eros had ever gotten.

“Eros came into our care as an agency transfer from a local animal control shelter,” Ruben Cantu, an animal care adoption supervisor at the shelter, told Newsweek. “From what was told to us by that shelter, he grew up in a homeless encampment, and never had a steady ‘home’ setting. His owner was unfortunately arrested, and Eros was taken by animal control.”

Since then, Eros has been adopted on no fewer than three occasions, only to suffer the heartache of being returned.

“The first home did not work due to his energy level, and they described him as too hyper,” Cantu said. “His second home had a dog already in the home and even with training and our assistance the existing dog in the home would not accept Eros as a house mate and they felt he was safer coming back to us.”

The fallout from his third aborted adoption was captured in a video posted to the shelter’s TikTok. It captures the devastating contrast in Eros’ mood with the shelter pup shown excitedly preparing to meet his new owner before the clip cuts to him back in the kennel having been returned “through no fault of his own.”

The hustle and bustle of a busy shelter environment has been shown to negatively impact dogs.

A 2006 study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior found canines living in shelters during a three-day period after arrival had three times the level of the stress hormone cortisol in their system than normal household dogs.

You can only imagine what the mental toll repeatedly entering and exiting the shelter must have had on Eros.

“For any dog being in and out of a shelter environment can cause major stress, we are fortunate to have a relationship with Eros and that has helped make him feel comfortable since coming back, but I know he suffers from stress of the shelter,” Cantu said, recalling how Eros would “pant, spin in circles and jump from wall to wall with anxiety” during his time there.

“The longer he stayed in the shelter, the more likely he would have declined mentally,” he said.

However, those worries about Eros have been washed away in recent days with the news that he has once again been adopted—and this time it’s for keeps.

“Eros has found an amazing home with a couple that I truly believe understands what Eros has been through and what he needs to feel comfortable in his new home,” Cantu said.

Even better, his new home comes with a ready-made best friend who is desperate to play with Eros already. “If you had seen their first introduction to each other, you would think they had been best buds for a long time,” he added.

Eros called the shelter his home for a long time, but now he’s found something new and wonderful—a family.

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