Dog 'Broken Out' of Animal Shelter After 730 Days—Her Reaction Says It All
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A dog's two-year journey of living in the animal shelter finally came to an end after she was "broken out" and placed in a foster home.
Waffles first arrived at an animal shelter 730 days ago, when she was about a year and a half old. She came in with her daughter after managing to escape a backyard breeder in the area, the shelter told foster parent Alyssa. Her pup has since been adopted, Alyssa told Newsweek.
After two years, Waffles finally received a break from the loud, chaotic shelter environment thanks to Alyssa, also known as Reddit user u/dogluvr_1, who decided to foster her after seeing a Facebook post about the dog on June 25.
Alyssa shared photos in yesterday's Reddit post on the subreddit r/velvethippos of the journey home with Waffles and her newfound freedom after leaving the shelter. The large dog happily sat in the back seat of the car. Every picture showed a smile plastered on her face.
Waffles has been showered with endless toys and a very deserved pup cup since being picked up. In one photo, Waffles comfortably sat on a dog bed with all her new toys surrounding her.
Screenshot from a June 23 Reddit post about a dog breaking out of an animal shelter after 730 days thanks to a foster parent stepping in.
Screenshot from a June 23 Reddit post about a dog breaking out of an animal shelter after 730 days thanks to a foster parent stepping in.
dogluvr_1/Reddit
"She has been loving the backyard and all the toys and has been exploring the little doggy pool," Alyssa said. "She does love to jump with all fours off the ground when we have her toys to throw."
Alyssa said that Waffles' new doggy siblings, Boba and Bambi, have been "very welcoming." So far, there have been "no problems" between the dogs. They've all been exchanging cuddles in the owner's king-sized bed.
While Waffles is currently being fostered, Alyssa hopes she'll stay permanently.
"We are considering adopting her; we just want to give her some more time to adjust and make sure everything is good with the dogs," she told Newsweek. "I just can't imagine how a dog-friendly, people-friendly dog who knows commands sat there without a family for that long."
Reddit flooded the comment section with their congratulations. The post reached over 4,200 upvotes and 80 comments as of Wednesday.
"So happy to see this. Thanks for giving waffles a chance. And thanks to the shelter for never giving up on him," wrote one Redditor.
"Yay for sweet Waffles!!! It looks like they are already fitting in with the family!" another commenter said.
A third person commented: "The bestest smile on the most patient of pibbles!!! Lots of love to Waffles."
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Senior dog went missing on own Missouri property. He was found — 200 miles away
When a senior dog failed to come home after his daily routine of walking the property in Missouri, his owner was worried. It was normal when Lisa Wood's three dogs, Ruben, Manny and Captain, would spend the day exploring her family's property in West Plains, only when the dogs returned this May evening, the trio was down one. The 13-year-old Captain. 'Lisa started searching for Captain and posting on local Facebook groups to find out if he'd been spotted,' a June 25 news release from Best Friends Animal Society detailed about the night Captain went missing. 'Due to Captain's arthritis, Lisa knew he couldn't get far on his own, so she was shocked to get a call that Sunday from a shelter in Bentonville, AR — more than 200 miles from her home in Missouri.' Turns out, Captain was mistaken for a lost dog by a traveler and picked him up. 'Captain had been brought into the shelter by a woman who had been traveling in Missouri and thought she had found a lost dog. Luckily, Captain was microchipped years before, so the shelter was able to scan his microchip and connect with Lisa quickly,' the release said. Wood wasn't able to make the full five-hour drive to pick up Captain, so she looked to Best Friends Animal Society, an animal welfare organization, to help her out. 'When Best Friends got the call, they quickly jumped into action. That same day, Dani Rakestraw, Specialist, Training and Behavior at Best Friends jumped in the van and drove Captain to Branson, MO —halfway between Bentonville and West Plains — to reunite with Lisa,' the release described. Then came the happy reunion. 'Captain is an absolute joy,' Wood said. 'We've had him since he was just a few months old, and he's just the smartest dog. He's really part of the family — he loves my kids, and he even helps me teach and train the other dogs.' West Plains is about a 205-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Dog 'Broken Out' of Animal Shelter After 730 Days—Her Reaction Says It All
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A dog's two-year journey of living in the animal shelter finally came to an end after she was "broken out" and placed in a foster home. Waffles first arrived at an animal shelter 730 days ago, when she was about a year and a half old. She came in with her daughter after managing to escape a backyard breeder in the area, the shelter told foster parent Alyssa. Her pup has since been adopted, Alyssa told Newsweek. After two years, Waffles finally received a break from the loud, chaotic shelter environment thanks to Alyssa, also known as Reddit user u/dogluvr_1, who decided to foster her after seeing a Facebook post about the dog on June 25. Alyssa shared photos in yesterday's Reddit post on the subreddit r/velvethippos of the journey home with Waffles and her newfound freedom after leaving the shelter. The large dog happily sat in the back seat of the car. Every picture showed a smile plastered on her face. Waffles has been showered with endless toys and a very deserved pup cup since being picked up. In one photo, Waffles comfortably sat on a dog bed with all her new toys surrounding her. Screenshot from a June 23 Reddit post about a dog breaking out of an animal shelter after 730 days thanks to a foster parent stepping in. Screenshot from a June 23 Reddit post about a dog breaking out of an animal shelter after 730 days thanks to a foster parent stepping in. dogluvr_1/Reddit "She has been loving the backyard and all the toys and has been exploring the little doggy pool," Alyssa said. "She does love to jump with all fours off the ground when we have her toys to throw." Alyssa said that Waffles' new doggy siblings, Boba and Bambi, have been "very welcoming." So far, there have been "no problems" between the dogs. They've all been exchanging cuddles in the owner's king-sized bed. While Waffles is currently being fostered, Alyssa hopes she'll stay permanently. "We are considering adopting her; we just want to give her some more time to adjust and make sure everything is good with the dogs," she told Newsweek. "I just can't imagine how a dog-friendly, people-friendly dog who knows commands sat there without a family for that long." Reddit flooded the comment section with their congratulations. The post reached over 4,200 upvotes and 80 comments as of Wednesday. "So happy to see this. Thanks for giving waffles a chance. And thanks to the shelter for never giving up on him," wrote one Redditor. "Yay for sweet Waffles!!! It looks like they are already fitting in with the family!" another commenter said. A third person commented: "The bestest smile on the most patient of pibbles!!! Lots of love to Waffles." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
US States Issued Drinking Water Warning
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Western U.S. is confronting a growing groundwater crisis exacerbated by factors such as rising temperatures and water demand. A legal expert is proposing multiple reforms to aid in the preservation of this essential resource. Why It Matters The U.S. Geological Survey notes that groundwater is the source of drinking water for about half of the total U.S. population and nearly all of the rural population. What To Know University of New Mexico law professor Warigia Bowman, who teaches water law, administrative law, natural resources and property, is suggesting that policymakers adopt stricter groundwater regulations. "We either make changes, or we run out of water. I would say the situation is dire, but it's fixable," Bowman said, in an interview published by "If we don't make changes by the end of the century, places will run out of groundwater. While not every aquifer will run out, many will." Bowman's recommendations, published in the Ohio State University Law Journal, center on four reforms intended to help preserve groundwater. A groundwater well stands in the Phoenix suburbs on June 9, 2023, in Queen Creek, Arizona. A groundwater well stands in the Phoenix suburbs on June 9, 2023, in Queen Creek, she urges refinement of the doctrine of "safe yield," which refers to the maximum volume of water that can be extracted from an aquifer without harmful impacts, per Bowman recommended redefining safe yield to include specific timeframes, making groundwater management more effective. She argued that vague terms like "over a period of time" lack clarity and should be replaced with defined intervals. "Timescales should be developed to connect measurement, planning, and reevaluation," Bowman wrote. "An annual time frame would be an excellent start, and longer time frames such as five years, a decade, or twenty-five years would allow water managers and scientists time to evaluate successful outcomes in aquifer management and adjust for changes in precipitation or miscalculations in withdrawal estimates." Second, she calls for the regulation of domestic and livestock wells, which in most western states are not always required to be metered. "The idea was that back in the day, people weren't going to use that much water, but in the absence of accurate measurement, water use from domestic and livestock wells could be overdrawn," she said, according to "It's possible someone could have one of these wells and use far more water than the Office of the State Engineer allows, and with an absence of meters, there's no way to enforce it." Third, she advocates for comprehensive metering of water withdrawals. "Monitoring, goal-setting, and auditing are critical components of any successful aquifer management program," she wrote in her research. "Both the federal and state government should give farmers incentives to meter. State water management bodies should use the data generated by metering to implement active monitoring of groundwater withdrawals throughout entire states." Lastly, Bowman highlighted that some states manage groundwater with a patchwork of rules—strict in certain areas but lax elsewhere—resulting in a multi-tiered system. Instead, Bowman argued, states should adopt more uniform and stringent regulations that apply consistently across all regions. What People Are Saying "Maybe farmers don't like metering, but they will like metering more than they like having no water," Bowman said, as reported by She also emphasized the need for behavioral change among producers: "A lot of land in the western United States maybe shouldn't be farmed." What Happens Next A separate, recent study found that increasing wastewater recycling to 40 percent in the Colorado River Basin could save around 900,000 acre-feet of water each year, which would be enough to supply nearly two million homes. The states that depend upon the Colorado River have also been in talks to establish new water-sharing agreements by 2026.
