Dog Waiting 1,400 Days in Shelter Has Sweetest Reaction to Volunteer – ryan

For nearly four years, a dog named Shawn has been patiently waiting for a second chance at love—and a home to call his own.

Shawn, a 5-year-old terrier mix, has spent more than 1,400 days at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in Wantagh, New York.

Despite being overlooked time and again, his spirit remains unbroken. In a recent video shared by the shelter, Shawn lit up as a volunteer approached his kennel. Tail wagging furiously, he gently accepted a new toy, eyes bright with gratitude and joy.

His story started when he was found as a stray.

“He originally came in as a stray, but he was microchipped,” Brian Devine, director of communications at the shelter, told Newsweek. “When we contacted his owner, he indicated he was coming to get him but never did.

“Shawn is a good boy who requires a solo pet home, so that often causes potentially interested adopters to shy away. Beyond this, he is a large breed, black middle-aged dog, all of which tend to get looked over quite frequently in shelters,” Devine said.

Despite needing an adult-only home with no other pets and an owner committed to keeping him active and continuing his training, the staff and volunteers believe he’s more than worth the effort.

“Shawn is a good boy and one of the hidden gems of our shelter, and we hope that the right potential adopter will come along and see for themselves why we love him so much,” Devine said.

One of Shawn’s biggest champions is Julia Martinez, who works at the shelter and runs the social media page @neverlosinghope4tohas on Instagram and Facebook.

Having spent lots of time with Shawn, she told Newsweek more about him.

“He loves going in the pool! But his future adopter should make sure to fill up the pool while he’s not around seeing as he loses his marbles for the hose,” she laughed. “For an older pup, he still loves to fetch, run and play. He absolutely loves toys. He lights up whenever he gets a new toy. He will hold it in his kennel and do a ‘happy dance’ all wiggly.”

Despite the long shelter stay, Shawn hasn’t lost his spark. If anything, he’s grown more calm and affectionate.

“Even after four years waiting for a forever home, he has somehow managed to become more mellow. You would think after living in a shelter for nearly 1,400 days, a dog’s behavior would worsen, but Shawn truly has a happy-go-lucky spirit,” Martinez said. “He truly is a resilient pup who still shows joy every single day despite being passed up on by prospective adopters for so long.”

While Shawn needs an experienced, pet-free home, he’s proved to be an easygoing companion on walks.

“Although he requires an experienced, savvy adopter with no other pets in a home, he walks by other dogs with zero reactivity. He often could care less about other dogs out on a walk. In fact, he walks beautifully on a leash,” Martinez said.

In the first half of 2024, 3.12 million animals entered U.S. shelters, according to Shelter Animals Count, a decrease from the same period in 2023. Despite this, the number of animals in shelters remains high—in the first half of 2024, 322,000 more pets entered shelters than exited them.

Roughly 369,000 animals experienced non-live outcomes—including euthanasia, death in care and being lost in care—in the first half of 2024, a slight decrease of 5 percent from 2023.

The shelter hopes that Shawn’s happy ending is coming soon and that his new owner is around the corner, ready to take him home to live his best life.

Anyone interested in meeting Shawn should contact the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter for more information.