She’s been in the shelter for over 1,500 days.
Last June, The Dodo highlighted the story of a dog named Kylie who’d been living at the Benton-Franklin Humane Society for over three years. Day in and day out, Kylie watched every dog but her get adopted and go home, until she became the animal who’d been at the shelter the longest.
A few months ago, Kylie finally got what she’d been dreaming of: a family. A couple came into the shelter, picked her out and took her home. It really seemed like her shelter days were over.
Then, an unexpected injury threw a wrench in Kylie’s happily-ever-after.
Kylie tore her ACL — a serious injury that requires intensive treatment. The surgery Kylie needed was costly, and as her new home could only be accessed by stairs, the pup’s new family made the heartbreaking decision to return her to the shelter.
“[T]hey did everything that they possibly could to try to keep her, but it just wasn’t the right fit,” Julie Saraceno, volunteer dog walker at the shelter, told The Dodo.
After Kylie underwent and recovered from her surgery, she was able to run around and play just like normal.
But after getting a brief taste of the outside world, she was once again stuck at the humane society. She’s now been there for over 1,500 days.
“In all that time, she has never lost her spirit,” Saraceno said in a TikTok.
One of the barriers that had been preventing Kylie from getting adopted was that she had to be in a single-dog household. But thanks to the shelter staff and volunteers’ hard work, Kylie has been making some friends with her fellow pups lately. Now, it would be possible for Kylie to join a family with other dogs, which opens up new opportunities for her.
Saraceno’s biggest dream for 2025 is to get Kylie adopted. All it would take for that dream to come true is one person deciding to take her home.
“Kylie is the best, and she deserves to be the next dog to leave the shelter,” Saraceno said in a TikTok.
If you’re interested in adopting or learning more about Kylie, you can reach out to the Benton-Franklin Humane Society.
