Imagine spending almost three years in a small kennel, waiting for someone to take you home and love you.
This was the life of Sora, a gorgeous Labrador Pitbull mix. Sadly, she was abandoned by her previous owner almost four years ago, and since then, she’s only known the shelter life at the Valley Animal Center in Fresno, California.
Although the shelter staff provided her with the best care, she still needed a devoted parent who could spend every day with her.
With their facilities at capacity, the Valley Animal Center had hundreds of dogs and cats that needed daily care, so Sora spent her days alone and heartbroken. As the shelter mentioned in one of their posts:
“Sora is the dog you want to take on long walks or bike rides; trust us, she can keep up. Unfortunately, Sora has been in a kennel for almost 4 years. While we try our best to provide her with ample physical enrichment, it never seems to be enough. As you can imagine, this has taken a toll on her mental health and led her to develop anxious behaviors.”
Being a Labrador Pitbull mix, Sora was an energetic dog that needed a family who could keep up with her hyperactive nature.
The shelter believed once she met her forever human, the anxious behavior would become history. As they also said:
“According to our certified dog trainer, Mariah Prudhume, if she was able to get her into a loving home, her mental health would dramatically improve. With love and patience, she wouldn’t be the reactive dog she is today, and she would finally become the happy and goofy dog she is meant to be.”
Then finally one day, an adoption application for Sora came through. The shelter staff was so happy that she would finally have a home to call her own.
However, after only 24 hours, poor Sora was returned. According to the woman who returned her, they couldn’t handle her active nature.
In addition to that, Sora was introduced to the family members way too quickly, with no time to adjust to her new surroundings. This led to an anxiety attack, as poor Sora was overwhelmed.
The Valley Animal Center gladly took Sora in, however, they were heartbroken that she was about to live in a kennel again.
This didn’t discourage the shelter staff. On the contrary, they worked even harder to find Sora a suitable home.
With regular updates on Sora and as much social media exposure as possible, they hoped for a perfect match.
Thanks to their hard work and their amazing community, Valley Animal Center was contacted by a family from Texas willing to adopt Sora.
They were an active family who loved spending time outdoors, making a perfect family for our little Sora. As they posted in an update:
“Our beloved long-term shelter dog Sora has found her forever home in Texas! Currently, we’re working diligently on the details of Sora’s transportation to ensure a smooth transition. Your support and love for Sora have made this, and we’re incredibly grateful for each one of you who has followed her journey.”
The shelter made sure the transition went smoothly this time around, and they even brought her to a pet shop where she picked up some new toys for her new beginning!
After almost 900 days of living in a small kennel, Sora finally had a big yard where she could run around with her new family!
Hopefully, Sora gets to spend many healthy years with her new family, where she’ll never spend a night in a dark kennel again!