This is Jax — a longtime shelter resident who desperately wanted a home but was continually overlooked by visitors. His friends at the Regina Humane Society were devastated every time they saw someone saunter past Jax’s kennel. They knew Jax was an exceptional dog, so they decided to do everything they could to make his greatest wish come true.
When Jax first came to them, the person dropping him off didn’t share many details about the pup’s history, but it was evident he hadn’t been loved in a while.
According to Bill Thorn, director of the Regina Humane Society, “He was very thin, so it appeared that he may have been on his own for a little bit.” “He was very, very hungry when he arrived. We made sure that he had all the sustenance he needed.”
The shelter’s vet team gave Jax a comprehensive medical screening and approved him for adoption not long after he arrived. But, a few days after his adoption ad was posted, Jax fell down with pneumonia. The pup was removed off the adoptable list and went promptly into care.
After weeks of treatment, Jax was finally pronounced healthy enough to find a home. His friends at the humane society posted his photo again and invited tourists to meet him, but no one showed interest.
Jax had no idea why people were continually glancing him over, but Thorn had a hunch: Jax would yelp whenever he saw someone strolling towards his kennel, and his deep bark would frighten them away.
“It wasn’t anything aggressive,” Thorn said. “He was really suffering from something known as barrier frustration. He’s an extremely nice dog, but there was a barrier in his kennel, and he couldn’t get to people to be with them. He just wanted to be caressed, but it could often be off-putting for people.”
Jax’s caregivers placed a sign on his kennel explaining why he was howling and just how lovely of a dog he really was. Still, no one showed interest in Jax, so the staff decided to attempt something different.
“We brought him up to our front reception area for a while to get him out of his kennel and kind of show his true colors,” Thorn explained. “During that time, he became a bit of a staff favorite because we all knew what a nice dog he was, but we just needed to get him into a situation where he could show it.”
By the time he was brought up to the reception area, Jax had already earned the title of a ‘long-timer’ at the shelter. On average, canines reside at the Regina Humane Society for 10-12 days, but Jax was there for months. With each day that passed, the shelter’s staff fell even more in love with him.
They tried everything to draw as much attention to Jax as they could, but it was still unsuccessful.
You can see one of their social media campaigns for Jax here:
“He was even sponsored, so his adoption fees were covered, but he still sat until it finally happened,” Thorn added.
On March 3, 2023, Jax’s dream finally came true. A man who had experience with big canines like Jax visited him at the shelter and instantaneously fell in love. Finally, Jax found his ideal match.
On Jax’s last day at the shelter, his friends decided to do something special for him.
“When we all found out that he was going home, we all gathered in our front area to send him off,” Thorn said. “Little did we know he would stop at each staff member along the way and say his goodbyes.”
Jax couldn’t leave the shelter without giving every single one of his friends a kiss farewell. He was thrilled to finally have the family of his desires, and he wanted to thank them for doing everything they could to make it happen.
When he arrived to the end of the line, Jax ran up to his new dad and dissolved in his arms.The shelter staff was sorry to see Jax go, but they immediately realized that their goodbye was more of a “see you later!” Since being adopted, Jax and his dad have visited the shelter multiple times just to give everyone a large hug again.
When he’s not handing out kisses at his beloved shelter, Jax can typically be found making friends with everyone he meets on walks or cuddling up with his amazing dad at home.
Thorn and his crew still ponder about all the time Jax spent in the shelter, but they know, in the end, it was worth it.
“It took a while, but we found the right person for Jax, and that’s what it’s all about,” Thorn said.
