A Wisconsin woman has shared heartwarming footage of the moment her senior rescue dog realized she was finally home.
Katie Darnell posted a clip to TikTok under the handle @katieldarnell, showing the moment her recently adopted nine-year-old rescue, Wisco, appeared to take stock of the fact she was no longer in the shelter.
Her homecoming marked the end of nearly a decade of upheaval. Writing in the blurb accompanying her video, Darnell discussed the fact Wisco spent three years in the shelter, enduring four failed adoptions in the process.
“After being returned to the shelter for the last time…she spent four long months waiting,” Darnell wrote alongside the clip.
Though shelter staff do their best to look after the dogs in their care, there is no getting away from the fact that canines struggle within these settings.
In 2021, a study published in the journal Animals examining the welfare of long-term shelter dogs—dogs who have been in the shelter a year or more—found that while their physical wellbeing was not impaired by their stay, it impacted them mentally.
Long-terms shelter dogs were often found to exhibit some stress-related behaviors, suggesting that they might be more affected by acute stressors and have more difficulties relaxing in the shelter environment.
The mental impact of a long-term shelter stay would undoubtedly linger, making adoption a more complex process than with other canines staying for shorter periods.
Dogs like Wisco would likely need longer to decompress and adjust to surroundings outside of the shelter. The fact that she was adopted and then returned so many times, meanwhile, is unlikely to have helped.
With each new adoption, Wisco may well have wondered whether it would ultimately end up with him back at the shelter. It certainly did on several occasions but not this time.
As Darnell declared in her post: “At 9 years old, Wisco finally found her home here with us.” While others may not have felt they had enough to take on a dog like Wisco, Darnell is more than ready.
“This sweet girl doesn’t come without challenges, but her happiness makes it all worth it,” she wrote.
More importantly, in Wisco, she has found a dog who, despite her difficulties, is still desperate to find the loving home every canine craves.
“Even after everything she has been through she has not given up on love,” Darnell wrote.
The video posted online captures the moment Darnell came to collect Wisco to bring her home. It then cuts to Wisco in her living room, playing with toys and relaxing on the couch.
At one point she looks to the camera as if suddenly realizing she is home. Though no one can truly know what a dog is thinking, whether Wisco knows it or not, she is home and this time it will be her forever home. Darnell appears sure of that.
“She has so much heart to give and we are so lucky to have her,” she wrote.
Newsweek has contacted Darnell for comment.