There are so many shelter dogs who have so much love to give, but still can’t find a family of their own.
Like one friendly dog, who loves to hug everyone he meets, but still keeps waiting to finally find his forever home. Now, his shelter is hoping to find the perfect family for him to love.
Toro is a 5-year-old dog who first ended up at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in Wantagh, New York a year ago, after he was seized from a property along with two other dogs.
“Toro was found with a 15.7 lb pound collar and chain around his neck, tied to a fence, at an abandoned home,” his shelter bio explains. “Thankfully, we removed them off their chains and brought them to safety.”
Like many dogs who come from a rough home, it took some time for Toro to adjust to his new surroundings.
“When he first came in, he was very nervous and shut down,” Melissa Fogarty, the shelter’s kennel and placement supervisor, told The Dodo.
“He’s become more comfortable with people he’s used to, but is still a bit nervous in the shelter setting.”
But Melissa soon realized that Toro had a lot of love to give.
“I was probably one of the first people to take him out for an actual socialized walk when he came in,” she said.
On that walk, Toro suddenly jumped up and gave her a big hug.
“He just kind of crawled up to me, climbed on my lap, and pressed himself against my chest … from there it grew and now he hugs all his friends here.”
After that, Toro became well-known around the shelter for his love of hugs. He will jump up and give hugs to anyone he sees!
“Every time he comes out of the kennel, his first reaction is to hug the person walking him, and anyone, really, he comes in contact with,” Melissa told The Dodo.
While Toro is full of love, he still has not had luck finding his forever home.
He did get adopted in January, but was returned to the shelter after a week and a half.
Due to his rough upbringing, Toro needs a special kind of home who will train him and give him the love and patience he needs.
“Toro was sadly never properly socialized and trained prior to coming to our shelter and possibly lived outside his entire life,” the shelter wrote. “It is very important to give Toro structure, have him crate trained and teach him basic obedience.”
They are also looking for a home without children or other pets. But the shelter is sure there is a perfect home for this loving dog out there somewhere. He has now been in the shelter for about a year.
“We want to see this boy in a loving home, after all he’s been through, he deserves the best.”
We love Toro! We hope this very loving dog finds the perfect home soon, he deserves it!
Let’s help him find a forever home, spread the word by sharing this story!