The picture says it all. You see Tommie Bear, a white, three-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier who is described as brokenhearted because his temporary reprieve from the animal shelter was dashed when his adopter gave him up and sent him back. Fast forward, and this is what he looks like after being returned to the shelter.
He’s in Houston, Texas, lying on his bed in his bare, barren cage barely acknowledging the comings and goings of people outside. He had escaped from the shelter for a few months before being returned. He was originally sent to the shelter in June 2020. He had a microchip and he was held there for the statutory six days to see whether his owner turned up but he didn’t so he was adopted after two people showed interest.
It is reported that his adopter sent him away to another home and it is that person who abandoned him. It seems that the original adopter delegated the task of looking after Tommie Bear to someone else. I have to presume that the original adopter was vetted so when he or she gave the dog away he did so to a person who was was not vetted and therefore it is perhaps unsurprising that the adoption failed.
We are told that he had little human contact or positive, good dog caregiving during his time away from the shelter. All-in-all it’s been a poor experience so it is no wonder that he is depressed.
I don’t what the terms and conditions of the adoption are at this shelter. They should include a clause which forbids handing over an adopted dog to somebody else as has apparently happened. If it does happen the dog should be reclaimed immediately by the shelter and then he should be adopted out again to at least protect him from bad dog ownership.
Tommie Bear weighs 79 pounds. He’s very solid and stocky. It is said that he was heartworm positive which I find disturbing. Symptoms include coughing, weight loss and breathing difficulties. It means that he has or had parasitic worms in his heart. It is treatable with an injection of melasomine. I presume that he has been cured of it but had the disease when he was first brought to the shelter which is Houston Saves Lives is Our Mission. Update: I believe he has been adopted again. Let’s wish him the best of luck this time.
