Finally a forever home, the long wait was over.

The phone rang on a Sunday night, a dog who had been adopted, needed to be picked up ASAP. The owner decided she didn't want him anymore.

She thought her new boy should have been fine left alone 8+ hours a day in a strange house, perfectly content to stare at the walls. He should have been grateful,after all, she did rescue him.

She couldn't believe he would actually have the nerve to chew up things and go the bathroom in the house. He wasn't a puppy, he was 6 years old, a dog who had lived his whole life in a shelter. He should have been thankful she picked him. After all, he was a big black dog, the last kind to be adopted.

He was found roaming the streets as a stray, un-neutered, suffering from heartworm. A rescue group took him to the vets, had him treated for the heartworms, neutered and given most likely, his first set of shots. Once he was healthy, they gave him a bath and a new collar. He was brought to various adoption events, hoping for a new family.

He watched as all the cute puppies went to their new homes. Even the small older dogs found their new families. The years passed as he patiently waited for his own family. Finally, this woman decided to take him. He lasted at her house a whole week. He wasn't perfect enough to fit into her perfect little world.

I picked him up on Monday. This big dog who cowered at everything. He was afraid of paper, loud noises, and to be caught in a corner. No, he wasn't housebroken, but 2 days later he was. He had been in the shelter since he was a puppy so he didn't know what housebreaking was all about. But he had other dogs to learn from and he was quick to learn what living inside meant.

He was put up for adoption again, no one showed any interest, nobody wanted a big black mutt. As the weeks passed he finally learned to trust. He found out that he could dig a hole or chew up a toy without being reprimanded.

We decided that he was part of our family, we would love him and take care of him. We would be his new family. It's been over a year, and he's not perfect, but he's pretty close.

He was supposed to be a foster dog. Please consider fostering a rescue, or adopting an older dog if you're going to adopt. They could turn out to be the best one you'll ever have.