After 933 days, she finally found her perfect match.
After two and a half years in the PAWS Chicago shelter, Tracy was almost ready to give up. The big, high-energy pup was beloved by rescue volunteers, but prospective families looked right past her.
“Most of our adopters are people who live in the city looking for calmer, smaller breeds that are more apartment friendly,” PAWS Chicago senior digital media manager Allison Wunder told The Dodo. “Tracy just kept growing.”
For 933 days, shelter staff gave Tracy the best possible life as they waited for the right person to notice her.
“It’s always hard to see a wonderful dog like Tracy get overlooked,” Wunder said. “But no day at PAWS was wasted for Tracy — we work really hard to provide mental and physical enrichment alongside positive reinforcement training for all our dogs, so that Tracy could be successful when her family did come along.”
Recently, a woman named Laura and her family arrived at the shelter hoping to adopt. They had a few dogs on their list, including Tracy, whom they’d seen in a video on the rescue’s website. The family greeted the first few pups, but they didn’t feel a connection. Then they saw Tracy.
“Tracy locked eyes with Laura and laid her head in her hand,” Wunder said. “About 5 minutes in, they knew she was the one.”
PAWS Chicago team members were overjoyed.
“They certainly chose her, but to watch Tracy choose them right back was magical,” Wunder said. “It was like she’d known them for years and had been waiting for them all along.”
In celebration of Tracy’s final day as a shelter pup, the rescue gathered all her best friends from over the years for a big goodbye party. Over 40 people showed up to pet Tracy and give her well wishes. The pup basked in the love of her caregivers, running partner and former foster parents. It was the perfect farewell.
These days, Tracy is settled with her new family. She enjoys walks, car rides and tugging on her rope toys. She’s obsessed with her people, and can often be found trailing them around the house.
Laura is so grateful to PAWS staff for believing in Tracy and helping her shine.
“Despite being in the shelter so long, [Tracy] held onto her spirit and her pride and her joy of life,” Laura told PAWS Chicago. “The love she received from PAWS must have helped her retain her resilience and her hope. Nothing about her is a victim. She’s strong and confident, and she knows how to love because she was loved by the people at PAWS.”
