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.