Man Takes Stray Dog To Shelter, Ends Up Adopting Her After No One Else Does

Hearts have melted online thanks to a social media post from the Louisiana SPCA revealing how the man who brought a stray dog into its care has returned to adopt the dog himself.

The female dog, now named Casey, had been found by "Mr. Peter" while he was walking his own dog in New Orleans. Sadly, no one adopted Casey after she was brought under the care of Louisiana SPCA, so Mr. Peter felt compelled to return and rehome the sweet dog himself.

The viral video, which has been viewed by more than 1.2 million users since it was first shared online on October 2, captured the moment Mr. Peter returned to the shelter to take Casey home.

The rescue dog could be seen jumping up to lick the face of the man who'd saved her, before rolling on the floor and wagging her tail in excitement. Casey's sheer delight at being united with her finder is shared in consecutive clips, as the rescue dog pranced around the shelter happily before leaving to embark on a new life where she's loved and cared for.

"Mr. Peter was walking his dog along the levee when he found Casey. She began to play with his dog and followed them home. Mr. Peter took her in for the night and brought her to the shelter the next morning," Louisiana SPCA wrote under the post.

"Casey had a wound on her shoulder, but no severe injuries. Mr. Peter expressed interest in Casey, but thought that a younger couple would be a better fit for her."

"Unfortunately, no one came to adopt Casey. Mr. Peter and his wife stayed in touch and returned to the shelter to bring Casey home," the shelter added.

The animal shelter shared an update to Casey's story on October 5, after multiple internet denizens requested a follow-up on how the dog was settling into her new home. The accompanying video, which can be seen here and has been viewed more than 71,000 times, revealed that Casey is "doing great" in her new home and that she's forged a genuine friendship with her new owner's existing dog.

Casey was also said to have felt calm and at ease in her forever home, having not had one accident since she's been living with Mr. Peter, which can be a common occurrence when rescue dogs are rehomed and feel anxious or just don't know where the bathroom is yet.

What Are The Stats On Rescue Animals?

Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet 'Shelter Watch Report' found.

What Do The Comments Say?

Since it was shared to the social media platform on October 2 by @LASPCA, the TikTok post has been liked by over 186,000 users and commented on more than 1,200 times.

"She chose you. That's how rescuing works," one user wrote.

Another user added: "I know he wanted her with more active people. Bless him."

"Mr. Peter and his wife are absolute gems," shared a different TikToker.

The TikTok post can be seen here.

Newsweek reached out to Lousiana SPCA for comment via email and social media.

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