In the spring of 2020, the South Bend Animal Resource Center (SBARC), an animal control service in Indiana, rescued a senior American bulldog mix named Kane. The black and white pup was chained in a yard and left for dead, leaving him traumatized and aggressive.
Lindsey Cuellar, shelter manager at SBARC, shared that Kane also developed a high prey drive with cats, and it seemed like he wouldn’t do well with kids and other dogs, as well. This alone made placing the bulldog in a home quite challenging, but the shelter staff held out hope that they would soon match him with the perfect family.
However, as the calendar kept turning, SBARC received no visits or applications for the poor bulldog. They tried sharing his story online numerous times and encouraging the community to meet him but to no avail. When Kane reached his 310th day in the shelter last February, the shelter’s volunteer coordinator decided to put out a plea on Facebook.
The post mentioned that Kane was officially the longest resident in the shelter, and it was heartbreaking for the staff to see him ache for a loving home. Surprisingly, the post went viral with thousands of shares. That week, Lindsey and her team were flooded with calls, emails, and applications for the eight-year-old bulldog.
In the sea of interested parties, the shelter’s adoption coordinator found Stephanie Payne. Stephanie had been meaning to adopt a dog for a while now, but she was waiting for spring to do so. However, when her cousin showed her Kane’s story, she was quickly hooked and decided to submit her application.
When SBARC approved her application, Stephanie went to the facility to meet Kane, and she was in love with him right away. She admitted that she was hesitant to care for a bulldog initially as her previous pets were all beagles. But after fostering the pup for several days, Stephanie realized that he was nothing short of a sweetheart.
Everyone at SBARC was over the moon when they learned of her decision, and there were definitely no dry eyes on Kane’s adoption day. Watch his long-awaited adoption day here.
@jamieealy Kane spent is life outside on a chain! Unfortunately him needing to be the only pet made it hard to find a home. Today is the day!!! #savingkane
Courtesy of Jamie Ealy
