In 2014, Sadie left the shelter and her departure was not expected to be followed by a return. Nevertheless, Sadie reappeared last month after being surrendered by her family. Despite being adopted once more, Sadie’s luck did not hold out, as she was returned within a short period of time. Regrettably, this was not the end of the cycle for Sadie, as she was adopted yet again, only to be brought back to the shelter a mere week later.
Sadie and her littermates were brought to an animal shelter in Harris County, Texas, as young puppies. Following a photoshoot conducted by the shelter staff, Sadie was adopted by a family. However, this initial adoption proved to be short-lived, as it was not the permanent home that Sadie was seeking.
When Sadie was returned to the Harris County animal shelter by her family last month, Ashley Roberts, an employee at the shelter, happened to be there. Roberts shared with The Dodo that at first, she thought Sadie was a stray that had been found due to how scared and uncomfortable she seemed around the people who had brought her in.
“They mentioned something like [Hurricane] Harvey and said, ‘I thought we were going to keep her,'” Roberts added. “But they didn’t seem to mind sending her back to the shelter” The photo of puppy Sadie emerged when a staff member scanned her microchip and looked up her details in their systems.
“[The staff member] almost burst into tears,” Roberts added. “She couldn’t even function when she saw her original photo and her return now… being surrendered back to an animal shelter. It was a stark contrast between her confident puppy picture and the dog we saw before us. He was almost in tears. I was already in tears”
The following week, another family approached the shelter and begged to adopt Sadie. Everyone was overjoyed at first, thinking Sadie’s bad luck was over. However, Sadie’s new family also returned her a week later. “I wasn’t there the second time she was turned in, but [the new family] reported that she kept having accidents in the house,” Roberts explained. “What we think happened was she was so scared she peed nervously”
Following this, the crew shared photos of Sadie on Facebook in the hope that she will quickly find a better – and more permanent – home. Shortly thereafter, a young woman contacted the shelter and offered to take Sadie in with the intention of adopting her.
“We strive to do adoption and adoption and placement counseling so that these animals and these people have a better chance of adoption success,” Roberts explained. “And I specifically said [Sadie] doesn’t have to be around other dogs for at least a week — give her space and give her time to calm down — she’s been through so much.”” According to Roberts, the young woman he didn’t listen for some reason.
“She seemed well-intentioned and I assumed it would work,” added Roberts. “So she took her home and said, ‘Oh, this feels so good.'” ‘Bring your dog here,’ she instructed her sister. As a result, her sister brings her dog and it attacks Sadie” .Sadie’s neck was covered in bite wounds when she was sent to the Harris County Animal Shelter for the fourth time.
“It was all bad luck,” Roberts added. “I’ve never seen a dog that was returned so many times” To help Sadie get back on track, the shelter staff arranged for her to be placed in a foster home with Down South Rescue.
“Sadie is with and working with an experienced foster home,” Down South Rescue director Sharon Fanning told The Dodo. “She is still terrified and distrustful of others. However, she developed a strong attachment to her adoptive mother. It will take him some time to recover both mentally and physically. And we’re going to be extremely selective about who we allow to adopt her.” Sadie won’t be available for adoption right now, but when she is, Roberts hopes she’ll get the best possible home.
“All we want is a home where she can be adored and given the time and energy she needs.
