Working in an animal shelter can be extremely rewarding, but also tough. Sad news is a regular occurrence, whether it’s euthanasia, abandoned animals, or not enough adopters. Thanks to one Floridian family, Prince, who was awaiting to be euthanized, has finally found a safe place without fear of being euthanized.
There are many animals who call Abilene Animal Shelter home, each of them with a sad story of their own. But there is one dog in particular whose life journey has really touched the employees in Abilene’s shelter. And his name is Prince.
“He was abandoned by the same owner twice,” Abilene Shelter’s Foster Coordinator Staci Shults shared.
Prince was abandoned by the same owner twice, and is now looking for a new home! Credit: Abandoned Pet Rescue.
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Prince was initially found abandoned by his original owner by Lindsey Houts, a supervisor for animal control. She brought him to the shelter, where he was reclaimed by his original owner.
“Prince was left behind in a hotel room,” Houts recalls.
However, Prince was soon abandoned again. He was found again later, this time abandoned in an apartment building. He has called the Abilene shelter home ever since.
“Prince has been in our care for over 200 days now,” Shults said.
Shults said that it is extremely rare for animals to stay at the shelter for this long, as most dogs are put on the euthanasia list after 30 days in the shelter. Prince was actually on the list on three separate occasions. But each time, he manages to find his way off the list.
The first two times, he was taken off the list due to the adoption plan not going through. However, this last time, Houts fought to have Prince removed from the euthasia list as she felt a strong connection to him.
“He was left behind and was never given a true opportunity to live with a good family,” Houts said.
Florida man to the rescue!
Brennan Bosworth was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, when he met Prince.
“I went into the shelter and asked if they have any dogs that are at risk or require any additional help,” Bosworth recalled. “They were like ‘Prince is the perfect fit for you.’”
He fostered Prince for about five weeks, and fell in love with him during that time. However, as Bosworth knew that he travelled extensively for work, he would not be able to adopt Prince.
“For example, I had a week-long trip to D.C last week,” Bosworth said.
However, Bosworth was able to relocate Prince to his step-mother’s Abandoned Pet Rescue center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Prince is awaiting adoption at the Abandoned Pet Rescue. Credit: Abandoned Pet Rescue.
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“Honestly, Prince is one of the most lovable dogs that I have ever come across,” he said.
Now that Prince had found a new home, he needed someone to take him there. Thankfully, five people volunteered to drive a different part of the journey. Prince arrived at Abandoned Pet Rescue’s center in December, and is now looking for a permanent home.
“The journey to get Prince to a place where his life is no longer at risk was definitely a group effort,” said Shults. “We all fell in love with him, and his story.”
While Shults hates to see any dog on the euthanasia list, the problem is that there are not enough people adopting dogs.
“Unfortunately, there is a limited number of kennels and occasionally we get more dogs than we have space for,” she explained. “We just don’t have the space, the resources, or the funding to help them all.”
“However, I’m glad to be a part of Prince’s story.”
If you have the space and love dogs, why not become a foster parent?
Fostering animals can also play a major role in saving the animals’ lives. According to Shultz, more than 1,500 animals were taken in by a foster family this year. This in turn saved the lives of more than 3,000 animals as it cleared up room for other animals.
If you want to adopt Prince, you can contact Abandoned Pet Rescue by clicking here.
