Elle arrived at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) several years ago in December after spending some time at the local city shelter, Austin Animal Center. She was fearful and took time warming up to people, but her friends at the shelter still hoped they could find her a forever family soon.
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But after around 1,400 days without a home, Elle was still waiting.
Despite her nervous demeanor, Elle bonded quickly with her shelter friends, including Kaitlan Warmbrod, dog behavior training supervisor at APA!. It was clear the pup had so much love to give — she just needed to find someone who was willing to receive it.
“We clicked so quickly,” Warmbrod said. “When I first met her, it was when I first started at APA!. We started by playing fetch, and when I went to leave, she got sad and fell into my lap. She normally would take some time to warm up to people, but she was attached to me. After that, I became so invested because I didn’t understand why she was in the shelter so long.”
Elle’s friends never gave up on trying to find her a home — and finally, someone fell in love with her.
A man named John saw Elle posted on social media and decided he wanted to foster her. He saw that Elle was one of APA!’s longest-stay dogs and his heart broke for her, and since he previously had a fearful dog of his own, he knew he could give her what she needed. He scheduled several times to meet Elle and let her get used to him, and then the day came for Elle to finally leave the shelter.
After years, it was time to say goodbye — so Elle’s friends decided to throw her a going-away party.
When Elle saw all her loved ones in one place, she absolutely lost her mind. She was rolling around on her back, giving everyone as much love as possible and really taking her time to say her goodbyes. After all those years, it was finally her turn, and she was clearly so grateful for everything her friends had done to bring her to that moment.
Before the party ended, Elle got her very own goodbye cake made out of peanut butter and scarfed it down. She headed home with John full of treats, love and so much hope for the future.
Elle has since settled in great to her new home, and her dad has made a decision — he’s officially on the foster-to-adopt track and is hoping to keep Elle forever.
Elle’s journey to find a home took a lot longer than everyone thought, but her shelter friends still firmly believe that every moment was worth it.