Having parents who love them immeasurably is all that shelter dogs long for.
Every day, they wake up with hearts filled with hope, wishing that their greatest dream would finally come true.
Unfortunately, senior dogs and dogs with special needs are often perceived as less desirable and they usually wait the longest to get adopted.
Beluga, a sweet senior dog, knows how it feels to be overlooked by adopters time and time again.
The pup spent more than 700 days in a shelter kennel, hoping with his whole heart that somebody would choose him and love him forever.
Beluga’s Story
Beluga was a 10-year-old stray dog who was taken in by the Texas shelter, Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) in 2022.
The first thing that his rescuers noticed about the pup was his head tilt. They didn’t know much about his past, but the rescue team suspected that Beluga suffered a trauma at some point of his life.
He was a sweet pup who had special needs. Apart from having arthritis and neurological issues, Beluga was partially deaf and partially blind.
He needed a calm home and a loving human who would give him a chance.
Beluga’s shelter friends did their best to be there for Beluga and to give him the affection that he needed.
They hoped that the doggo would find a forever family who would spoil him with love.
However, months went by, and Beluga continued waiting in his shelter kennel. He watched other shelter residents smiling as they left their kennels in the arms of their new parents.
Beluga kept wondering if he would ever be as lucky as them.
The Senior Pup Finds The Perfect Match
In February of 2024, a 75-year-old woman named Jeanette arrived at the Texas shelter. The giant-hearted woman lost her two senior dogs, and she was hoping to find a loving companion and a best friend.
Since Jeanette already owned senior canines, she was experienced in giving them the specialized care that they needed.
The kind woman came with the intention to adopt another dog, but once she met Beluga, everything changed.
The second Jeanette saw the senior pooch, she fell head over heels in love with him. She brought Beluga home to foster him with the intention of adopting.
It didn’t take long for her to realize that the doggo belonged with her.
During his stay at the shelter, Beluga was a timid and slow-moving dog.
After he moved in with Jeanette, he blossomed. The sweet canine started running in the backyard with his mom with a smile on his face.
Beluga explored his surroundings, and he enjoyed his freedom to the fullest. Thanks to the love his mom gave him, the adorable senior dog turned into a puppy.
Beluga adores his mom. Since the pup always wishes to be by her side, Jeanette named him Velcro.
Jeanette and Velcro are both ecstatic to have found each other.
The pup brought a lot of happiness into Jeanette’s home. She considers that Velcro chose her to be his forever mom.
“Velcro has adopted me; I didn’t adopt him, he adopted me. He has chosen me,” Jeanette told PEOPLE.
Jeanette hopes that her story will encourage other people to adopt senior dogs, saying that they have a lot of love to give to their parents.
“They deserve love, and they give as much love as they get. They respond to love just as well, if not more than younger dogs,” Jeanette told APA!
We couldn’t be happier for Velcro. The adorable pooch waited for a long time, but he ended up finding the love he deserved all along.
@austinpetsaliveThis video is just a snippet of a story of two souls looking for their perfect match. When you AmplifyLifesaving, you pave the path for pets like Beluga and his new guardian to meet. There’s just 8 hours left to help us reach our $250,000 goal! We’re 65% of the way there–can you help us get to 75% before noon? Find the link to donate in our bio and read on to learn how the stars aligned for this duo. Velcro, FKA Beluga, is a 10-year-old senior dog who had searched for a loving home since 2022. With his older age came some arthritis and an unknown background likely contributed to some trust issues and progressive neurological/musculoskeletal challenges. His ideal home would be slow paced, just like him! And come with a patient and understanding human. He wasn’t the only one looking for a companion; Jeanette recently lost her two senior pups and was ready to open her home to another senior pet in need. At 75 years young, she needed a low-energy dog to share her home with and spoil to her heart’s content. Soon after meeting, Jeanette welcomed Velcro into her home under foster care with the intention of adopting. The foster-to-adopt process allows both APA! and the foster parent to help the dog acclimate to a new environment by providing at-home behavior consults and lifelong adoption support. Jeanette hopes her adoption story will encourage other people to not overlook special needs and senior dogs. “They deserve love and they give as much as they get,” she stated. “They respond to love just as well, if not more than younger dogs. Velcro has adopted me… he has chosen me.” Each year, thousands of at-risk animals come into our care, many of which have been deemed “unadoptable” due to behavioral or health challenges. We work to provide pets like Beluga with available resources to enhance their quality of life and prepare them for life outside of the shelter–because we know there are people out there that need them just as much. #austinpetsalive #austin #texas #austintx #shelterdog #dog #dogsoftiktok #happytail #adopt #adopted #adopteddogs #adopteddogsoftiktok #seniordog
