Dog Elvis Overlooked by Adopters Finds Home With Impersonator of The King

Dog Elvis finally found his forever home with an impersonator of the singer after previously being overlooked by adopters during his stay at a Chicago animal shelter.

Former stray Elvis arrived at The Anti-Cruelty Society (ACS) in March and had been looking for a loving family to spend the rest of his life with. After potential adopters overlooked Elvis, his story went viral online. Loren, a former impersonator of the singer and an ACS supporter, came to believe it was fate that the dog should join his family.

"[Loren] a longtime supporter and former Elvis impersonator, saw Elvis and realized it was meant to be," Rachel Klousnitzer, ACS senior director of marketing and communications, told Newsweek.

"We are so grateful that people all over the country were so invested in Elvis's story," Klousnitzer said. "We can't stress enough that we see dogs like Elvis waiting for their forever homes every day and we hope that his story brings more adopters through our doors."

Loren, who hosted fundraisers for the animal shelter as drag queen Debbie Fox, told the ACS that the dog would keep his iconic name.

This led the ACS to declare in a November 17 Facebook post that "Elvis has left the building," following his successful adoption.

"He is a very sweet, goofy pup who loves to play and cuddle," Klousnitzer said. "He loves everyone he meets and always has plenty of kisses to go around."

Initially Overlooked by Adopters

While Elvis has now found a loving family, Klousnitzer told Newsweek he was initially shy after arriving at the shelter. Staff were disappointed when he was at first overlooked by potential adopters.

"We were all so sad for Elvis when he was the only one left after our 'fall in love' waived-adoption-fee event," Klousnitzer said.

"He had a few people stop by to meet him, but for whatever reason, he just didn't get picked to go to his forever home that day.

"All of the staff made sure to shower him with lots of love and attention since all of his friends were gone and he was the only one left," Klousnitzer added.

Pets in U.S. Shelters

Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet 'Shelter Watch Report' found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.

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