Dog Nearly Lost Hope Waiting 1,459 Days in Shelter, Then a Miracle Happened
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A greyhound that became an animal rescue's longest resident began losing hope, but his luck turned around when the perfect person came along and offered him a chance.
Olympus lived at Greyhound Rescue in Australia for 1,459 days, waiting day in and day out for a happy ending. While the staff know him as a great dog, Kate Button, president of Greyhound Rescue, and manager Kirstie, told Newsweek that Olympus was misunderstood.
"He has very big feelings and doesn't know how to regulate himself in those moments," Kirstie said.
This greyhound loves having fabric in his mouth, such as a blanket, they said. He'll rip his blanket apart when extremely excited. And without access to fabric, he'll turn to clothing, jumping and grabbing at it. He did not know how to "regulate his emotions."
Photos of Olympus, a greyhound who lived at a rescue shelter for four years, waiting for his forever family to come forward.
Photos of Olympus, a greyhound who lived at a rescue shelter for four years, waiting for his forever family to come forward.
Courtesy of Greyhound Rescue
People became interested in Olympus over his four years there, but the rescue organization found other dogs they thought would be a better fit. They wanted to help Olympus and ensure his forever family understood his ticks.
And thanks to a grant dedicated to rehabilitation, the staff began working with Olympus and monitoring his behavior more closely. They focused on giving him other options to regulate his emotions.
"We aimed at letting him have big feelings, have big playtime, but learn how to bring himself down to a good level," they said.
In less than a year of working with him, they noticed a night-and-day difference. Kirstie said he's incredibly clever and motivated by food. He "kicked goals" in everything they taught him. This led him to have a more likely chance of being adopted.
A bright spot in his story finally came earlier this month when a person arrived at the rescue, asking to adopt the longest-term resident. After several meet-and-greets with Olympus and understanding his behavior, they decided to bring him home.
The adopters currently have Olympus on a trial basis. They've been sharing daily updates in a private support page filled with adopters, staff members and volunteers, giving the rescue organization hope he's in his forever home.
He's been snuggling on the couch with his humans, turning to the other dog in the house for cues on how to react. They noted he's been much calmer out of the shelter environment. And while the trial isn't over yet, Greyhound Rescue is hopeful this is his forever family.
The rescue organization shared the exciting news in an August 2 TikTok video posted to the account @greyhoundrescue, which reached over 183,700 views and 25,000 likes as of Wednesday.
In the clip, Kirstie asked staff and volunteers to gather around and celebrate the bittersweet goodbye. Olympus trotted off in the video, with a smile on his face, as he knew his time had finally arrived.
"Well done. There is a home somewhere for every rescue dog and this proves it," wrote one viewer.
"Omg the years, why so long my boy? Thank God for a happy ending and a happy home," another commenter said.
"Oh bless him, waited 4 years to find his home," a third person commented.
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.
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