Adopted dog was ‘dumped over a fence.' Now he needs someone ‘who won't give up'
'He deserves someone who won't give up on him,' a Florida animal shelter wrote Aug. 7 on Facebook. 'Someone to love him, protect him, and committed to him.'
Baby Bear waits for a new home after traveling nearly 1,000 miles. His journey started after he was adopted from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Florida in 2022, Randa Richter, humane programs and public media director, told McClatchy News via email.
Then recently, the Lakeland-based shelter received a call from West Virginia. A facility found Baby Bear and checked his microchip, which stores the contact information of pet owners.
'How he traveled to West Virginia, nobody knows; but what we do know is that he was dumped over a fence at a West Virginia Animal Control,' SPCA Florida wrote in a news release. 'Scared, nervous, and unsure, Baby Bear found himself in a foreign environment, with loud barking dogs, strangers, and different smells.'
Shelter workers reached out to Baby Bear's family but didn't hear back. After the 10-year-old mixed breed dog was left behind, SPCA Florida said it didn't want someone to fail him again.
'We knew we had to act fast — because unlike SPCA Florida, that shelter didn't have a no-kill policy,' the animal organization wrote. 'Time was running out.'
So, SPCA Florida arranged for a volunteer to fly Baby Bear back to its shelter in Lakeland, a roughly 35-mile drive east from Tampa. He showed off his 'sweet' and well-behaved nature as he got 'first-class service' on the flight, according to the Facebook post and an online adoption profile.
'He stepped off the plane, tail wagging, ears perked, and eyes full of trust,' the shelter wrote. 'He looked as if he finally knew he was home.'
As of Aug. 13, the shelter's website still listed the rescued senior pup among the animals available for adoption. Details about the shelter's adoption process can be found at spcaflorida.org.
'Come meet Baby Bear and be the reason his journey ends in joy,' the shelter wrote. 'After all he's been through… this sweet boy deserves nothing less than the best.'
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