“Adopt, don’t shop” is a slogan that’s changed thousands of lives.
Because contrary to what most people believe, animals aren’t always put in shelters because there’s something wrong with them. They’re not problems and liabilities. In fact, more often than not, cats and dogs wind up in animal shelters because of circumstances like families moving away or financial struggles. If you ask your friends over at the shelter, they’ll tell you that the place is filled with happy, good-natured pets just waiting for the right family to finally come to take them home.
That’s why it’s pretty heartbreaking to hear of pets being the only ones left in the shelter, or pets being returned more than once after being adopted.
Just like this poor pup named Abe, a black labrador and American pit bull terrier mix.
Abe’s sister and many other dogs in the office were adopted, but Abe was returned twice by two different families for reasons that perplexed John and his colleagues. After all, Abe was playful, sweet, and adorable.
John couldn’t resist digging deeper until he reached a decision to take Abe home and find out for himself why the other families couldn’t take care of him.
So after talking it over with his girlfriend, John brought the puppy home and they even decided to name him Bean.
It was a chaotic adventure, alright!
Bean was just like any other puppy: curious, eager, active. He would chew on shoes and furniture, bark, and struggle to get the leash off of him during walks. He was difficult, but he was simply exhibiting normal puppy behavior – the kind that could be regulated through consistent, proper training.
John laughing shares,
“There’s no end to the devastation this puppy can cause.”
It became clear to John that the only reason Bean kept being returned was that the other owners just didn’t have the patience to teach the dog.
“Whatever issues he had, I was going to work through them with him.”
But just as John and Bean were becoming pretty well-adjusted to their routine in Brooklyn, COVID-19 happened. This meant further delays in finding the perfect home for Bean. So John decided to take him along to his parent’s home in New Hampshire.
And Bean loved it.
In New Hampshire, Bean experienced snow for the first time. He also enjoyed his first swim with John and eventually befriended the family’s two cats, Tigger and Simba. While it took a while for the animals to get used to each other, Bean and Tigger grew to become inseparable.
The playful puppy also played such a significant role in helping John’s mom feel better.
“For the past year, my mom’s been recovering from breast cancer. Bean’s really helped lift her spirits and helped with the healing process.”
And that’s when John knew Bean wasn’t going anywhere.
It took months with the family to realize just how perfectly Bean fit in with and how happy he made them all.
“I’m so glad we chose each other.”
Press play to watch Bean’s happy story.
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