Dog Still Smiling As He Marks 1,000th Day at Shelter After Being Hit by Car

A three-legged dog refuses to stop smiling, despite having spent more than 1,000 days in a shelter.

Arandy is a Thai street dog who was discovered in October 2020 and brought to the Soi Dog animal shelter in Phuket, Thailand, which cares for 1,200 dogs currently. He's thought to have been in a road accident because he was severely injured and distressed when he was picked up by an animal rescue officer.

Sam McElroy, the operations director at Soi Dog shelter, told Newsweek that Arandy has faced many difficulties, including a leg amputation, but "he's a fantastic, friendly boy with people." Even though he's been in the shelter for 1,000 days, they're still hoping he will be adopted by a loving owner.

McElroy said: "Arandy arrived at our shelter with one of our teams of animal rescue officers who picked him up. He had suffered a road traffic collision and was in severe distress.

"He had severe muscle atrophy of his front left limb, indicating long-term underuse of that leg. Combined with the injuries sustained in the road traffic accident, it was determined by our vet team that amputation was necessary.

"Arandy is super sweet, but he's not good with other dogs and it's recommended that he's not placed in a home with young children either, so his chances of adoption are greatly diminished as a result."

Just like Arandy, millions of dogs wind up in shelters across the U.S. each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). About 6.3 million companion animals enter rescue centers across the country each year, of which 3.1 million are dogs, and 3.2 million are cats.

There may be a happy ending for the 4.1 million animals that get adopted each year, but there are still millions who are stuck waiting to find their forever home.

As the shelter attempts to drum up additional support and interest for Arandy, it shared a post on their Facebook page on July 19. The post detailed Arandy's traumatic past, from being hit by a car to having the leg amputation. The post was added to "make sure he doesn't spend a day longer" in the shelter.

The viral Facebook post has received over 1,700 reactions and hundreds of comments. However, McElroy said they're still waiting on adoption offers to roll in.

"It is more difficult to find new homes for dogs who don't get along with other dogs. Perhaps the three legs puts some people off, mainly due to the potential of additional veterinary expenses as he gets older.

"We'd love to get this beautiful boy adopted, and already have many success stories over the years of dogs and cats who've made the journey to their new forever homes."

While the shelter awaits a prospective owner to come forward for Arandy, many people commented on the post to praise the dog's strength after his difficult past.

One person wrote: "Such a beautiful boy and a very brave little boy, he has such a gorgeous little face."

Another person commented: "Beautiful dog who needs, and deserves, a loving home."

Do you have any animal rescue stories that 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.