Dog in Shelter for More Than 2,000 Days Still Waiting for Forever Home

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Lightning the dog has been in a Canadian animal shelter for more than six years, after being "surrendered" to Dog Tales Rescue in Ontario back in 2017. Her story, which has recently been chronicled in a viral social media video, has broken thousands of hearts online.

The 41,000 TikTok users who have watched the video to date have been left stunned to learn that the dog is still without a forever home or adoption plan. Staff members at Dogs Tales Rescue estimate that the 7-year-old pup has been in their care for more than 2,000 days.

"She is a dog that is available for adoption at Dog Tales Rescue in Ontario. She was surrendered to us about six years ago, and the family who passed her over to us told us that she had been passed around to multiple homes before coming to our center," a staff member at the animal shelter told Newsweek.

Dog
Lightning the dog has been living in a rescue shelter for six years. One viral TikTok video hopes to boost her chances of finding a forever home. Courtesy of Dan and Lighting

"Due to her past she has some behavioral issues and for that reason she's looking for an experienced home with no other pets or children."

"The staff here are working with her every day and she's doing amazing with some of us. She's super smart and she loves learning and doing new tricks. She is great at agility," they added.

The staff member went on to share that Lightning recently tore her cruciate ligament and is in line for surgery in July, so that she can get back to being playful and active.

The moving video captures Lightning sitting alone in a room. A caption across the video reads that the pup this is at "day 2,040 without a home". While her situation is dire, the pup looks to be happy as she's filmed wagging her tail.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it was shared to the social media platform on on July 1 by @DanAndLightening, the TikTok post has been liked over 7,000 times and commented on by more than 1,000 users. The comments section under the post is brimming with messages of support from users hoping to boost Lightning's chances of being adopted.

"How haven't she find any home still? There has to be someone who is willing to take her as a pet," one user wrote.

Another user added: "Sweet peanut, hope you find a home soon."

The TikTok post can be seen here.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

About the writer

Melissa Fleur Afshar is a Newsweek reporter based in London, United Kingdom.

Her current focus is on trending life stories and human-interest features on a variety of topics ranging from relationships, pets, and personal finances to health, work, travel, and family dynamics. She has covered current affairs, social issues, and lifestyle stories extensively.

Melissa joined Newsweek in 2023 from Global's LBC and had previously worked at financial news publication WatersTechnology, tmrw Magazine, The Times and The Sunday Times, Greater London-based radio broadcaster Insanity Radio, and alongside other journalists or producers for research purposes. Since joining Newsweek, Melissa has been especially focused on covering under-reported women's health and social issues, and has spent a large part of her time researching the physical and mental impact of both the contraceptive pill and abusive relationships.

Prior to that, Melissa had been specialized in reporting on financial technology and data news, political news, and current affairs. She has covered data management news from industry giants like Bloomberg and Symphony, alongside the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the U.K economy's 2022-pound sterling crash, multiple National Health Service (NHS) strikes, and the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran.

A show that she produced and presented at the Greater London-based community radio station, Insanity Radio, was awarded 'Best Topical News Show' and the runner up award for 'Best New Radio Show' on the network.

She is a graduate in MA History from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Languages: English, Persian.

You can get in touch with Melissa by emailing m.afshar@newsweek.com.

You can follow her on X or Instagram at @melissafleura.


Melissa Fleur Afshar is a Newsweek reporter based in London, United Kingdom.

Her current focus is on trending life stories and ... Read more