He was either ignored or put back in his kennel after a brief meeting, instead of being taken out of his kennel and taken to a safe and loving place.
Each shelter mate got adopted and left, one by one. Until Capone was the only one left.
It broke the staff’s hearts.
“For quite some time Capone was the only dog we had in the shelter,” Carly Quinn, the director of the Ionia County Animal Shelter, told The Dodo. “All the kennels were empty, except for sweet, quiet, kind Capone.”
Capone was initially adopted not long after coming to the shelter but due to not ‘getting along’ with another dog at the house, he was returned. Capone became despondent. He was so depressed that he stopped eating.
Everyone could see that Capone didn’t just lose his appetite… he lost a piece of himself.
Having been adopted and then returned to the shelter changed Capone. “The Capone we met in 2017 and the Capone wet met in 2018 were two different dogs,” Quinn said. “After he was surrendered the second time, it seemed like he picked and chose his friends as if he truly felt betrayed. He became very attached to us shelter staff.”
“He is a ‘velcro dog,’” Quinn added. “A dog who loves to be right next to you, always touching you.”
Because Capone had issues with that other dog at what should have been his forever home, shelter staff only wanted to adopt him out to a home where he was the only dog. This proved more challenging than they thought it would be.
Staff continuously shared Capone’s photo on their Facebook page, hoping the right person would see him and give him the life he deserves. After the shelter was cleared out, and he remained, they were even more determined to place him. Capone didn’t deserve to be left behind.
Finally, posting his photo on social media paid off!
Staff continuously shared Capone’s photo on their Facebook page, hoping the right person would see him and give him the life he deserves. After the shelter was cleared out, and he remained, they were even more determined to place him. Capone didn’t deserve to be left behind.
Finally, posting his photo on social media paid off!
Quinn practically held her breath. She walked Capone over to meet the couple with her fingers crossed. Quinn said, “As I walked into the lobby with Capone, he stopped and looked at Jon and Ashlee for a while. They both knelt down and Capone ran right into their arms.”
“It was truly a tearjerker,” Quinn added.
The staff was so nervous about Capone’s return when he left. But over time, and as they kept an eye on Capone, they realized he did get his happily ever after. Just look at his serene sleepy smile in his new home.
