Gumby is Sent to the Shelter 11 Times Before Staff Realizes He Has a Home

 

In September 2014, a stray dog named Gumby was brought to the Charleston Animal Society (CAS). This was the first time the staff there met him. They had no idea they were about to get close to him in a way that would blow their minds.

 

Over the next year, Gumby was brought back to the shelter an amazing eleven times.

 

You see, this hound-mix dog was very good at getting away, and he always found his way back to the same shelter. The staff did everything they could to find him a forever family, but nothing ever worked out. He would either sneak through an adopter’s screen door or be given back by an adopter who couldn’t handle how sneaky he was.

 

For example, Gumby went back to CAS four times during his third adoption. He was dropped off once by a good Samaritan, once by animal control, and twice by his adopters. What a sneaky puppy!

 

The staff tried one last time to find Gumby a permanent home in December 2015, but he ran away three times in less than a month. At this point, things were getting pretty silly because Gumby wouldn’t stay where he was put.

 

Finally, the CAS staff saw that Gumby’s attempts to escape were not just a joke. He was trying to tell them something.

 

 

 

Gumby looks like a typical hound mix, but his Houdini-like ability to get away has made him very well-known in Charleston, South Carolina.

 

In September 2014, he was found wandering around and brought to the Charleston Animal Society (CAS), a proud no-kill shelter.

 

Over the next year, Gumby was sent back to CAS an amazing eleven times!

 

He was adopted out of CAS seven times, gave himself up to CAS eight times, and was found three times as a stray.

 

The people who worked at the shelter did everything they could to find Gumby a permanent home, but nothing stuck.

 

In fact, hounds are known to be very stubborn. Those dogs that aren’t quite good enough as hunting dogs may run away or be left by their owners.

 

The first time Gumby was adopted, it was only for three days. His next adoption was only for six months.

 

The staff told each family that wanted to adopt Gumby that he could escape like Houdini.

 

His third adopter really wanted it to work.

 

Gumby went back to CAS four more times, though. He was brought in by a Good Samaritan once, by animal control another time, and by his adopter twice.

 

 

In March 2015, a fourth adopter took Gumby home, and for four months, the CAS staff didn’t hear anything about him. They were so happy! That’s it!

 

But in July, Gumby came back and was again called a stray.

 

Gumby was adopted for the fifth time in August, but he ended up at CAS’s sister’s shelter a few weeks later. Nearly 30 miles separated this shelter from Charleston. That’s a long way for a puppy to run!

 

 

So, he went back to CAS, but his sixth adopter took him back right away.

 

Is anyone else starting to notice a pattern?

 

The last time the staff tried to find a forever home for Gumby was on December 6, 2015, but it didn’t last long.

 

The person who took him in said he got away three times in less than a month. He even broke through his screen door, he said.

 

 

The CAS staff had given up on finding an adoptive family for Gumby, but they hadn’t given up on him.

 

The shelter was his home for life.

 

The team found out that he never really tried to get away from them at the shelter. He loved everything about the staff and how they always cared for him.

 

They also noticed that Gumby had an uncanny way of making scared or anxious shelter dogs feel better.

 

 

The people who worked at CAS thought that Gumby kept coming back because “he knows he has work to do.”

 

Gumby became an important part of the shelter when he started helping the behavior team with their demonstration of good behavior.

 

Every day, he plays with dozens of dogs and gets all the love and care he could want or need.

 

It’s a good thing that this great staff didn’t give up on Gumby.

 

He may not have a traditional home, but he has found what he wants to do with his life.

 

 

The staff also found out that the serum made from Gumby’s blood can heal. He started giving kittens with eye infections blood.

 

Now, Gumby has a permanent home in the shelter where he always came back.

 

Source: LittleThings