Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/dog-adopted-after-667-days/

When most people go to an animal shelter, they are looking for a young dog, perhaps even a puppy that they can make part of their family and their lives.

Unfortunately, this means that some of the more “difficult” dogs may get overlooked and they could spend a long time in the shelter before finding a forever home.

That is what happened with Melvin, a dog who spent 667 days in Los Angeles at the shelter run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He had a rough life, including needing a lot of medical care due to a cranial cruciate tear. He also needed to be trained so he could live in a home, but the organization finally announced his adoption on Twitter.

According to the SPCA LA, a spokesperson for the shelter, Sara Taylor, shared that when a dog like Melvin stays at the shelter for a long time, they require a lot of daily enrichment and training to stay physically and mentally resilient.

She added: “There is also a significant emotional investment because we become their interim family, waiting for someone to give them a chance to become a companion.”

Melvin had been in the shelter for a long time and was almost ready to celebrate his fourth birthday, but now, he was finally adopted and will be celebrating his birthday elsewhere.

There were a number of unique challenges that kept Melvin from being adopted. Melvin is a pit bull and that made him difficult to adopt. The color of his coat was also not working in his favor.

After being matched with a family that was looking for a pit bull, they brought him into their home. Not only will Melvin live life with a human couple that loves pit bulls, but he will also have two pit bull siblings as well.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog