Dog Adopted After 7-Year Wait In PA Shelter

BLOOMSBURG, PA — The staff at Animal Resource Center waited nearly a decade for someone for someone to show interest in Ella, a dog who spent an astonishing seven years in their care. Last week, they received the email they had anticipated for so long.

"Interested in adopting Ella," the subject line read.

And once they met the person who wrote the email, it was nothing short of a match meant to be.

According to a post on the shelter's Facebook page, a woman named Kaitlyn reached out and visited the shelter. She told staff her dog, Jo, died a few months ago and she was ready to get another dog.

"Ella is a dog that has fear aggression and needs multiple visits for her to get comfortable with you," shelter staff wrote. "Not with Kaitlyn, it’s like Ella picked HER. She immediately walked over to Kaitlyn with no hesitation, allowing her to give Ella scratches and pets right away."

The post continued, "We think she already knew, that this is MY person."

But it seemed like Ella was also meant to be her dog.

According to the shelter staff, Kaitlyn's eyes filled with tears after meeting Ella. She pulled out a photo of her dog, Jo, and pointed at the bandana Ella wore.

“This bandana that Ella is wearing, it’s Jo’s," Kaitlyn said, according to the post. "I donated them all here when he passed."

It was an emotional moment for Animal Resource Center staff, but one for which they were grateful, the post read.

"It’ll be such a bittersweet moment realizing that as we pause to reflect on a few of our favorite times with Ella," the post concluded. "But my goodness the amount of pure happiness we will feel every day knowing Ella finally got what she deserved."