Dog who spent nearly two years in animal shelter finally finds new forever home

A shelter dog who spent almost two years without an owner has been rehomed.

Melvin, who spent a whopping 667 days at a shelter in California in the US, was finally adopted by a family-of-four after staff at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) site had struggled to find him a home.

The four-year-old pit bull cross, now renamed Loki, was matched with dog lovers John and Trish Maguire, who already have two pit bulls.

Staff at the Los Angeles shelter said Melvin held the record of being their longest resident, CBSLA reports.

“We’ve waited 667 days to say these words: Melvin has left the building,” they posted on Twitter.

New owner Trish added: “He’s going to have a great life now,” describing the pooch as “very excitable” and “very loving”.

She added that they began searching for another pooch because was it was “too quiet with just two” after one of the family’s dogs, Romeo, died in December aged 14.

Trish also said the family “just wanted to be able to save a dog,” and they were keen to get their first pit bill cross.

The shelter says it has rehomed nearly 1,300 animal since lockdown restrictions kicked in last year to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

In the UK, however, the RSPCA has warned the surge in demand for new pets during the outbreak means about 40 are being abandoned in England Wales.

Although officials hope more people working from home will mean more owners able to better look after their animals, they fear more people losing their jobs will mean fewer are able to afford a pet.

In the past three months, more than 100 animals have been rehomed by the West Norfolk branch of the RSPCA in Tilney All Saints, near King’s Lynn.