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Shelter Seeks Home For Dog Who's Been There For 1,456 Days

Shelter Seeks Home For Dog Who's Been There For 1,456 Days

Having spent nearly four years at the shelter, Ginger has become a firm favourite with staff

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

Is there anything more heartbreaking than an upset dog? Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question - of course there isn't.

A picture shared on Facebook by a pet rescue shelter in the US reaffirmed this truth on Thursday. Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, in Maine, posted a photograph of rescue dog Ginger wearing a sign around her neck which read, 'I have been in the shelter 1,456 days. Please adopt me'.

As if the message wasn't tear-jerking enough, Ginger also puts on her best 'please adopt me, I'm adorable' face.

Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills

Having spent nearly four years at the shelter, she has become a firm favourite with staff and volunteers. However, they want what is best for Ginger, and that is a loving home of her own.

A message accompanying the picture on the shelter's page reads: "Yes, you've read that right. Ginger has been here 1,456 days. She was brought to us as a stray in 2014. She needs the perfect home, not just any home.

"She is an amazing dog, and all the staff here at Responsible Pet Care love her deeply, but she needs a HOME!!! Ginger would like to be the only princess ( because, well, that's what she is)."

Part of the reason Ginger has not yet found a home is due to issues with resource guarding, meaning despite being a generally friendly and affectionate dog, she can be protective over items such as her food bowl or toys. As such, the shelter said Ginger is not suited to a home with small children.

The post continues: "Someone who knows this fantastic breed, older couple, single person, or someone who has an empty couch space needing to be filled!? Please share, you never know who this may reach! Ginger thanks you all!!!"

Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills

The shelter's wishes came true and the post was shared more than 1,500 times.

Speaking to HuffPost, Pat Ingersoll, canine director at Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, said: "She's our little princess. Because she is such a unique and loving dog, we don't want to put her in a situation where she can fail.

"We would love nothing more than for her to have her own family right now."

In a post shared on their Facebook page yesterday (21 October), the shelter thanked those who had been in touch about adopting Ginger.

A spokesperson said: "We would like to express our complete gratitude for all who have called, messaged and stopped by the shelter to meet Ginger. Our staff have been working very diligently on trying to return as many calls as they can while still taking care of the 300+ animals that we have in our care right now.

"We appreciate everyone's patience as we continue to funnel through the influx of calls and messages. Please if you haven't heard back from us and are still interested, please stop by the shelter or give us another shout. We appreciate all of you and we couldn't be doing what we do without you!"

Touch wood one of these callers will bring Ginger's drawn out residency at the shelter to a close.

Featured Image Credit: Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills

Topics: Dog