Posted November 7, 2022 by: Admin #Animals

“He was neglected again and again…”

Meet Martin, a senior dog who was abandoned by his elderly family and desperately needed a home.

 

Martin’s dad brought the elderly dog to the animal shelter in the hope that they could help Martin find a home in which he could comfortably spend his last years. He has adapted well, Ranlet said. “I don’t know if he understood what was going on, but from day one he was a happy, calm, very sweet senior with a teddy bear face,” said one observer. However, finding a suitable adopter proved more difficult than expected because of Martin’s age.

 

Ranlet complained that he was “constantly overwhelmed”. There were seven unsuccessful adoptions in the space of two months for various reasons. However, Martin’s adoption was also influenced by a number of other factors. He also tested positive for heartworms, making potential adopters nervous. The SPCA staff decided to try something new to introduce Martin after the seventh adoption failed. We came to the conclusion that we needed to use the Internet to ask our community to help us spread the word and place him in a home,” says Ranlet.

In fact, Martin received the visibility he needed with a single Facebook post describing his story and two pictures of his adorable teddy bear face. Ranlet says that “the Facebook post made all the difference”. “Thousands of people shared his post and all of a sudden people were calling us, emailing us, etc.

After Martin’s post went viral, adoption applications for the senior dog were filled within 48 hours. One of the applications was submitted by a couple with knowledge of senior dogs. Ranlet said: “They weren’t afraid of his age, or the heartworm disease he had. They instantly fell in love with him and his tender energy. Martin has been living in the couple’s home for a few weeks.

As he continues to receive heartworm medication at the Wake County SPCA on weekends, his adoption has not yet been finalized but will be soon. They will make the adoption official as soon as his treatment is complete, Ranlet said. He still has a month or two left.

Martin is the only dog in his new family, but he gets along well with Hilltop, his little feline sister. The SPCA staff miss Martin every day, even though they see him on routine visits for heartworm treatment. But they are delighted that he has managed to find the perfect family despite all the obstacles, and they hope his story will encourage others to adopt older dogs. Ranlet commented that it was good to pay more attention to older dogs.

“It helps people remember that adopting them is worthwhile too”.