The process of adopting a dog is never an easy one. People would think that it is, but it involves a great deal of responsibility, particularly if the animal that is going to be adopted has been through some difficult times in its life in the past. But even through the hardships, it turns out some of the most rewarding pets to have are the ones that were hardest to raise.
Nobody understood why Benji kept getting returned to the shelter after being adopted. It had been 11 times by now and all his owners just kept giving obviously fake and weak excuses. Only when the new trainee decided to take Benji home with her did they find out what was actually wrong with Benji. And nobody at the shelter could have predicted this…
Returning Benji AGAIN
Benji was a mixed breed, and no one knew for certain which breed he belonged to. He was a combination of Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, with a little bit of Asian Village Dog thrown in for good measure. He was a pretty good boy while he was at the shelter; however, he just can’t seem to stay with one family for any length of time.
As Stacy made her way back to the shelter, she was under the influence of the event and was visibly shaken. Benji was dozing off in the backseat of the car. Stacy was overcome with guilt because she had been so confident that she could assist this poor dog, but now he needed to be taken back to the shelter for the 12th time. But at least they understood why it happened…
Disappointment at the shelter
When a dog is taken back to the shelter, it is never a pleasant experience for anyone involved. It is already challenging enough for a shelter when their hopes are finally realized when a dog is adopted, only for the dog to be returned at a later time. And to think that Benji has been sent back a total of twelve times already…
Stacy had made some prior arrangements, so when she and Benji arrived, there were already three other employees waiting for them. They were obviously disheartened that the adoption had not been successful, but in addition to that, they were extremely curious as to the reason for it because now they would finally get an answer that was honest.
The real reason
The thing about adoptions is that there is usually no need to provide an explanation for returning them. Simply making a phone call to the adoption center and stating that you want to return the dog that you adopted is all that is required. The center is obligated to pick up the dog and take him back, and they cannot ask any questions about the situation.
Benji had been brought back to the shelter a total of 11 times, each time with a different justification, but they were confident that Stacy would tell them the truth. They would soon realize, however, that they were not prepared to face the truth… The question then is why Benjij was brought back to the shelter 11 times. What was wrong with this poor dog, and was there anything that could be done to help it?
1,5 years at the shelter
When a dog stays at a shelter for a longer period of time, it is better able to adjust to the environment it is in. On the other hand, that is not necessarily a positive thing. A dog that is in a shelter does not get much opportunity to interact with other dogs because it is typically confined to a separate cell from the other dogs.
Benji had been a resident of the animal shelter for approximately one and a half years at this point. Everyone who came to the shetler to pick immediately fell in love with him and wanted to take him home, despite the fact that he was barely a puppy anymore and still very much looked like one. The question is, therefore, why was poor Benji still here?
Being adopted a lot
When it comes to finding new homes, certain dogs have more success than others. Benji was especially fortunate because he had a face that was always adorable and he was still a young boy. Adopting a puppy is a decision that can be made more quickly than with other animals, primarily because, well, they’re puppies and they’re cute!
The reality is that during those one and a half years, Benji did not spend nearly as much time as some might assume in a shelter. If he were there, it would take someone a maximum of two weeks to adopt him if he were available for adoption. The problem, however, was that the people who had adopted him kept giving him back to his previous family.
No good reason
This was already going on when he was brought into the shelter for the very first time when he was a puppy of only three weeks old. His previous family had a dog that had successfully given birth to five sound offspring. But for some inexplicable reason, they chose to keep four of them, and without so much as an explanation, they gave the remaining one, Benji, to the shelter…
At the time, there were some raised eyebrows at the shelter, so they decided to have their on-call veterinarian perform a thorough examination on Benji. When the results of all of the tests indicated that there appeared to be nothing wrong with the puppy, the shelter simply came to the conclusion that he most likely just got unlucky and ended up here.
A seemingly perfect family
On the same day, they put him up for adoption, and by the morning of the following day, someone had already come in to adopt him. People who saw Benji understood that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because it was not common for a shelter to have puppies available for adoption because most of the dogs that were brought in were older.
It appeared as though he was going to join an absolutely ideal family. A recently wed young couple with a daughter of 5 years old who is desperate to get a puppy. Since the mother also worked from home, there was always someone present to pay attention to Benji whenever he needed it. No one at the animal shelter anticipated that they would ever see Benjio again…
Strange reasons
But this would not turn out to be the case whatsoever. It only took 3 weeks before Benji was returned to the shelter by his new owners. The father had come alone with a happy and excited Benji following behind him. He had obviously bonded with the men and had no idea it would be the last time he would see him. Despite the initial optimism, Benji’s return left the shelter staff heartbroken. They quickly realized that Benji’s journey to find a forever home was going to be more challenging than they had ever imagined.
The men only provided a hazy explanation for why they were returning Benji, which was clearly an excuse. Something about that was just not working out, possibly due to the fact that it was ongoing for an excessive amount of time. Given the information that the shelter had about the family, it was completely inexplicable. The shelter staff, perplexed by the vague reasoning, couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to the story.
It kept happening
However, the shetler made the decision not to ask an excessive amount of questions at that time. If Benji’s family was not going to take care of him, the dog would have been better off living with someone else. And they were certain that he would quickly find a new owner who would adore him to the fullest extent possible. This could not have been more than a freak accident, right?
It turned out that this whole thing was completely unremarkable. For some reason it just kept happening. Benij was adopted multiple times, but he was always returned to the shelter after a short period of time, and each time, he was adopted again in less than two weeks. It was a cycle that just confused Benji – where is his furever home?
It didn’t make sense
The animal shelter had never encountered anything remotely similar to this in the past, and its employees were at a loss to explain why it was occurring. The reasons that were always given for returning the poor puppy just seemed to be too superficial and feeble. And because they varied so greatly from one another, at least some of them had to be fabrications.
Others claimed that Benji had way too much energy, while others claimed that he wouldn’t even get out of bed. Some people said that Benji had way too much energy. Some people claimed that he was hostile toward other dogs, while others claimed that he avoided going to the park because he was so afraid of the other dogs there. It just didn’t make any sense…
Benji was obviously hurt
The animal shelter was at a loss for what else to do with Benji, so they decided to put him up for adoption once more. They were unable to simply keep him at the shelter for the rest of his life. This poor dog needed to find a home where he could stay for the rest of his life, but after he was returned for the eleventh time, nobody had any hope that he would ever find one.
It was also plain to see that the puppy that everyone at the shelter had grown to care for so deeply was beginning to show the effects of being subjected to this never-ending cycle of misery. They were able to plainly see that the sparkle that used to shine in his eyes became noticeably dimmer each time he was placed back inside of that case. It broke my heart to see…
New trainee Stacy
Benji was at this point doing nothing more than hunching over in one of the corners of his cage. His 11th owner had finally provided the shelter with a reason for his return that the shelter believed to be true. That Benji just generally appeared to be unhappy and to have a lack of trust in him was clear. They are completely capable of believing that…
Everyone who worked at the shelter simply had the impression that they needed to find a solution to this issue. They all cared so much about the dog, and fortunately for them, the answer came from a trainee named Stacy who had been with them for only about two weeks at the time. Was she the guardian angel Benji has been waiting for? Stacy’s arrival at the shelter proved to be a turning point in Benji’s life. Her determination, compassion, and fresh perspective offered a glimmer of hope for the troubled dog.
Wanting to adopt him
She was training while pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine. During that period of time, she volunteered at the homeless shelter. It was the first time she saw Benji, and as soon as she did, she fell hopelessly in love with him. Benji’s most recent owner had returned him to her, and that was the moment she first saw him. Her heart swelled with determination to give Benji the loving home he deserved. With her veterinary expertise and deep affection for the little dog, she was convinced that together, they could overcome any challenges that lay ahead.
Even though she had only seen Benji in his very depressed state, the staff members who had been at the shelter for a longer period of time told her all about how entertaining Benji had been in the past. In addition to that, they disclosed the fact that Benji had been sent back 11 times for a variety of reasons. Despite Benji’s troubled past and the challenges he presented, the young veterinarian was undeterred. The tales of Benji’s past escapades at the shelter painted a picture of resilience and a quirky personality.
Convincing the parents
Stacy, however, was not deterred in the least by this. The pain of their loss caused her to reflect on all of the moronic former owners who had surrendered Benji to the animal shelter. She was adamant about providing this dog with the happy and healthy life that it so obviously deserved. But she was completely oblivious to the ramifications of her actions at this point…
She did still need to convince her parents about getting a dog as she was still living with them. She was afraid they wouldn’t like the idea but to her surprise, they were actually completely up for it. Apparently, with the prospect of Stacy moving out soon they had actually already been thinking about getting a dog. Stacy’s heart swelled with happiness as she realized that her family was just as eager to welcome a new four-legged member into their home as she was.
Benji needed a lot of work
Stacy was able to bring Benji home with her on the same day because all of the necessary paperwork was completed and organized. Benji was going through the exact same motions for the twelfth time at this point in his life. When he was led out of the cage, he always gave the impression of being emotionless. For Benji, the repeated experiences of being adopted and returned had left him emotionally guarded and detached. The uncertainty of his future had taken a toll on him, and as he left the shelter with Stacy, his demeanor remained stoic.
Benji refused to even make eye contact with Stacy during the drive back home. She was aware that there was a significant amount of work to be done in order to restore this poor dog’s trust in people and help him become the joyful and contented dog that he had been in the past. Stacy was confident that she could pull it off, but she soon realized that her optimism was misplaced…
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