Shelter's Longest-Serving Rescue Dog Still Has 'No Interest' After 750 Days

A pit bull called October has melted hearts all over the internet after a video posted on social media explained how he has been in a shelter for over 763 straight days waiting for a new home but has so far received no adoption applications, or at least no successful ones.

The viral clip shared on TikTok earlier in March by the San Diego shelter hosting the dog, under the username Theanimalpad, shows the pup on the first day he arrived, full of hope and joy, and then again shows a most recent shot of him, after spending over two years and still getting no interest.

The video comes with a caption that says: "Arriving Day 1 at the kennels. Ready to heal up and find a forever home!" as they show him arriving at the shelter which a group of other rescue dogs from Mexico, and then says again "Day 763," as it shows him in a kennel with a blanket, losing his hopes.

The post also explains: "October is our only long-term dog that has never gotten an adoption application. He is looking for a foster or adoptive home as the only pet. October is crate and potty trained. He loves people, playing fetch, and toys."

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), at least 3.1 million dogs enters shelter as strays every year, and only 2 million of them are adopted while 710,000 are returned to their owners.

Lauren Burns, marketing director at The Animal Pad (TAP), the all-breed dog rescue where October is currently staying told Newsweek that October joined TAP in February of 2021 as a part of a group of 12 dogs with severe mange rescued from Ensenada, Mexico, and each dog was named after a month of the year, hence the name October.

She said: "For just over two years, October had never received an adoption application. When the TikTok highlighting October went viral, he received a few applications but none ended up being seriously interested.

"October LOVES playing with toys, especially tennis balls! He is house-trained, crate trained, and loves every person he meets. At home, he is a perfect angel. However, he can get a bit overwhelmed out in the world when other dogs get too close. He is working on staying calm around other dogs while on walks and has made great progress! His ideal home would be a fun-loving household with no other pets who is willing to put in the work to continue his leash training."

October was about to be adopted again a few days ago, but the prospective owner pull out last minute, and October is still looking for his forever home.

The video quickly grabbed the attention of many animal lovers across the platform, most of whom couldn't believe October hadn't gotten any interest yet. It has so far received over 1.6 million views and 263,000 likes on TikTok.

One user, officially.Abbey, commented: "Hold up. I live in Yuma AZ. I'm so down to take this trip. He would be an only pet and very loved." And Lindsay said: "San Diego boost!! Someone save this pip."

August.the.seniordog wrote: "My name is august and I'm also looking for my forever home! We got this!!" And Rxtt0v33 added: "Man if I could adopt all the dogs and cats in a shelter I would 10000%."

Another user, Michelle Pase Voye, commented: "We had a pup at our shelter, Bobby, a similar-looking pitbull for 16 months. He just got adopted and there wasn't a dry eye in the place!" And Lindsay.c0 added: "Every so often I think bout how my dog was in a shelter for 4 years before I got her and it makes me so sad."

Everything_but_hate said: "Someone please adopt this baby." And Wh0s_danika wrote: "Ugh I wish I was able to give him a change!! We already have 3." Uncoolartghoul added: "What a handsome boy, hope he finds a home soon!"

Just last week, a stray dog named Sophie melted hearts across the internet after the shelter where she is staying for the second time in 10 years shared her heartbreaking story on social media.

Another rescue dog, Loki, can be seen being driven to his forever home, a serene look on his face, with his paw in his new owner's hand. The text reads: "I adopted this dog and he held my hand the whole way home," with the caption reading, "He's such a sweet boy."

One scared pup couldn't be convinced by humans to find safety and shelter, but took the advice of another four-legged friend and followed the fellow pup (and owner) to safety, where she was able to get to a vet and eventually find her forever home.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep her, but I did find her a home with a loving family where she is doing amazing," her rescuer said.