Scout refused to live out his days at the animal shelter in Michigan, where he was picked up as a stray dog. He chose his adopters all on his own-–by repeatedly breaking into a local nursing home!
The Antrim County Animal Shelter director, Heather Belknap, tells Scout’s incredible story of escape: “He climbed the chain-linked kennel. There’s a six-foot solid vinyl fence around the dog kennels. He jumped over that fence.”
Nursing home staff found Scout sleeping on the couch, and had him brought back to the shelter. But over the next few days, he escaped and made his way back to the nursing home three more times!
A staff member ended up taking Scout home with her. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a good fit with her other dogs. But thankfully, the nursing home decided that they could not send Scout back to the shelter. After making sure that all of the residents were comfortable with the newest addition, they formally welcomed Scout as a member of the family!
While animal shelters do essential, lifesaving work, the emotional toll that life in a shelter takes on dogs and cats is an important reminder of their profound need for human companionship. While we often focus on their physical well-being—ensuring they're fed, sheltered, and medically cared for—the psychological suffering that dogs, cats, and other animals endure in shelters is less visible but equally heartbreaking.
Even with the best efforts of shelter staff and volunteers, the environment is inherently stressful for dogs and cats. They are placed in a space of never-ending barks and howls, surrounded by unfamiliar scents and faces, longing for a sense of stability and belonging. Without a human guardian to form an emotional bond with, many dogs and cats experience anxiety and depression.
Every dog and cat deserves love and care from a human guardian — and so do the other animals at the shelter — the rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, and whoever else ends up there.
What if we could address the stray overpopulation crisis right at the source of the problem?
Almost 6.3 million animals enter U.S. shelters every year. Worldwide, the situation is much worse, with hundreds of millions of dogs and cats suffering on the streets, with no humane solution within reach. That’s why 600 Million Dogs is working to address this crisis in a unique way.
Our nonprofit science-centered mission is to End the #1 Cause of Death for Dogs and Cats Worldwide — Overpopulation. We are doing this by developing a safe, edible, one-dose, permanent-lasting birth control Cookie that, when completed, will spay or neuter a stray without surgery.
Every companion animal deserves a loving home, and we’re working to make that a reality!
Will you help?
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