Oscar’s only 2 years old, but his perpetual frown would make you assume he was older. The American bulldog mix has spent nearly all his life waiting for a forever home, and his melancholy countenance reveals it.
After his family abandoned him at just under a year old, Oscar’s pals at Miami-Dade Animal Services (MDAS) sought to do everything they could to turn his life for the better. They gently treated an infected cut around his neck and wiped away the grime that had gathered on his body from living outside. They then put him up in his own kennel and placed him on their list of adoptables.
Workers at the shelter attempted to get the word out about Oscar, but months passed without a single adoption application. As the days went by, his pout became deeper and deeper.
“Nobody was reacting to their tweets about him,” Rosa Fond, founder and president of Humans and Animals United, told The Dodo. “Eventually, everybody forgot about him.”
Nearly a year later, MDAS attained full capacity. They had no option but to let go of lifelong residents like Oscar, and that’s when Humans and Animals United stepped in.
“We had to come up with a strategy basically straight away,” Fond remarked. “We don’t board our pets – we search for fosters. So we basically worked all day and night to come up with a solution for him until we found a foster.”
Thankfully, Fond and her colleagues found a foster for Oscar to go to by the next morning. On top of finally getting to leave the shelter after all that time, the sweet pooch was heading right into a loving family.
As soon as he came to his new foster home, Oscar’s pout changed into an ear-to-ear smile.
“He was very happy,” Fond remarked.
Linda was just as excited for Oscar’s new chapter as he was, but she realized the pup had a long road of recuperation ahead of him. On top of being heartwarm positive when she took him up, his teeth were in poor shape. Oscar was happy but also in agony.
“When I say he has everything, the poor boy has everything,” Fond remarked. “But we’re doing all we can to make him feel better.”
Oscar received daily treatments with Fond’s local vet, and, once he started feeling better, his lively attitude flourished. Finally, the worn dog started to feel like a puppy again.
“He became a bit hyper,” Fond remarked. “But he’s young. And simply so sweet.”
Oscar’s presently in foster care working with a trainer who collaborates with Humans and Animals United as he waits for a future home. With the guidance of his new pal, Oscar’s learning how to channel all his energy into obedience skills that keep him safe and happy.
So yet, no one’s enquired about adopting him, but Fond is hopeful that Oscar’s perfect family will find him.
“He deserves a decent home,” Fond remarked. “Somebody who’s gonna offer him a lot of love and help him recover from the trauma he’s been through. Someone who’s gonna give him a lot of love and time to learn that he’s safe.”
Oscar’s pals at Humans and Animals United are hoping that a loving family will scoop him up soon, but, in the meanwhile, they’ll continue showering him with care as he deserves.
With the worst portion of his life far behind him, the sweet pup’s prior pout has officially evolved into a permanent smile, and Fans can’t wait to watch his ear-to-ear grin grow even wider once he finally gets his happily-ever-after.
