This dog was returned to a Nebraska shelter 3 times. He's finally found a home.
Arthur, a 6-year-old Dalmatian-Labrador mix has a new home thanks to Emilee Parrish and Smitty.
For 6-year-old Arthur, finding a home has proven more difficult than anyone expected.
The Dalmatian-Labrador mix had been adopted three times since arriving in Nebraska, only to be returned each time through no fault of his own. After returning to Blue River Pet Rescue in Seward, director Cody Brown is hoping this fourth time will be his last.
“When dogs get returned multiple times, they start giving up, they start losing hope and just kind of shutting down,” said Brown. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid with Arthur. We want him to go to his home and to be confident that he’s not going to be abandoned again.”
After three returns, Emilee Parrish from Omaha drove out to the shelter on Saturday after seeing Arthur's story shared online.
When Arthur and her senior dog met and got along with each other, Brown said the Omaha couple decided to move forward with Arthur's fourth adoption.
"It means the world to all of us here at the rescue," Brown said. "It is a great testament to all the hard work and heartache we sometimes go through as volunteers. All the time and care we put towards our animals eventually helps them find the perfect home."
Arthur first arrived at the Seward shelter in December after being transported from Texas, where he had been surrendered with his brother, Andy.
“They were both surrendered just because their owner was going to be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday and couldn’t find a pet sitter, so he just decided to surrender them, which is awful,” Brown said.
With the help of Beatrice Humane Society, Arthur and Andy were both brought to Nebraska through a partnership aimed at saving animals from euthanasia at overcrowded rural shelters.
In January, Andy, who has more prominent Dalmatian markings, was adopted by a firefighter in Grand Island. Arthur remained behind, waiting for a family of his own.
His first adoption came in February with a young couple. Brown said the placement initially appeared to be a perfect fit, but one of the owners was dealing with a medical condition that increasingly limited her mobility.
“He’s an energetic dog; he loves to go on walks and adventures, so they ended up returning him.”
Brown said the couple was heartbroken to return Arthur but hoped someone else could provide him with the active lifestyle he deserved.
Arthur, a 6-year-old Dalmatian/Lab mix from Blue River Pet Rescue in Seward, was adopted by an Omaha couple after being returned to the shelter three times.
A month later, Arthur was adopted by a recent college graduate living in Lincoln. Once again, things seemed promising.
“She lived in an apartment complex where just about everybody else had dogs, and it was just really stressing him out,” Brown said. “He started getting defensive of his owner.”
After being abandoned and shuffled between homes, Brown said Arthur appeared to develop a strong protective instinct toward his new owner from the other dogs.
After Arthur returned to Seward, an unexpected opportunity emerged. The woman from his first Nebraska home had begun a new treatment plan and was experiencing improved mobility.
On April 25, she adopted Arthur once again.
“We knew he’d done so well with that family that we actually allowed them to adopt him back out,” Brown said. “It seems like some of the defensiveness that he kind of gained in that second home kind of came through once he went back to their home.”
Arthur again became protective of his owner, this time around some of the cats living in the household. Ultimately, Brown said, the woman’s significant other — who owned the cats — gave her an ultimatum: it was him or Arthur.
The rescue offered training assistance, but to no avail; Arthur was returned to Blue River Pet Rescue on June 1.
“It’s never easy on dogs bouncing from place to place,” Brown said. “Even going from shelter to shelter is kind of a system shock to them, where they have to have some time to decompress and get used to all these people and new routines.”
For Arthur, that stress has been multiplied.
“Especially going into a home where he’s starting to feel secure, starting to have love from these families, and then ending his way back up here to the shelters,” Brown said.
While Blue River’s volunteers spend significant time with the dogs, Brown said that time cannot replace the comfort and stability of a permanent home. Inside the shelter’s 12-kennel facility, barking dogs can make for a noisy environment.
“It’s definitely not the same as being in a safe, quiet home,” Brown said.
Each of Arthur’s repeated returns was also difficult for the rescue staff and volunteers who have invested months in his care.
“You put all your heart into these animals, hoping to get them ready for their homes, for their forever, and to have them be returned several times, you feel like maybe it’s a personal failure on your own part, even though it isn’t,” Brown said.
Despite his setbacks, Brown believes Arthur has plenty to offer his new family.
“He really bonds with people really closely,” Brown said. “He’s highly intelligent, very trainable. He’s completely housebroken at this point and knows all of his verbal commands.”
And Arthur will never turn down a pup cup from Scooter's.
“He’s definitely an adventure dog. He loves going on car rides, going on walks with our volunteers,” Brown said.
Now, with Arthur at his new home, Brown hopes his story is forever changed.
“We don’t want it to be Arthur’s story that he’s just constantly given up on. We want him to go find his forever, to feel that love that he hasn’t received in the past,” Brown said. “He’s just never felt that security.”
Reach the writer at 402-473-7241 or ajohnson2@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ajohnson6170
