It’s every shelter dog’s dream to find their forever home, but sadly some dogs are returned to the shelter shortly after being adopted, often for arbitrary reasons.
Like a dog named S’mores, who was returned just a half hour after his adoption because he was “too big.” Now, he’s searching for a home that will love him just the way he is.
S’mores, a 1-year-old Anatolian shepherd weighing 78 pounds, arrived at the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency in Modesto, California in January after being picked up as a stray.
Just days later, he was adopted out, and it seemed to be a happy ending for the dog — but just a half hour after heading off to his new home, shelter workers were shocked to see S’mores return though their doors.
The adopters returned S’mores for a shocking reason: they returned him for “being too big,” according to a TikTok video.
The video has been viewed 1.8 million times, and outraged many people online. “Did they not see his size before they left the shelter?!? Poor baby,” one comment reads.
“What is wrong with people?! It’s not like his size changed in an hour!!!” another wrote. “He’s adorable and deserves better.”
S’mores was confused and heartbroken by the abrupt turn of events, forced to return to his tiny kennel, and staff at the shelter were even more baffled.
“We were completely flabbergasted with S’mores’ story,” Sarah Meiches, cofounder and president of Mutt Luv Rescue, told The Dodo. “I mean, his reason for being returned 30 minutes after being adopted for being too big was too absurd … S’mores definitely didn’t grow in size (or weight) in those 30 minutes from the time he left the shelter to the time he was brought back.”
Soon after, Mutt Luv Rescue and Not Your Average Rescue Inc. teamed up and found a perfect foster willing to take in S’mores, allowing him to get out of the shelter environment and know a home for the first time.
S’mores has thrived in foster care, and Meiches described him as a “very smart, silly, happy, social and curious” who loves adventures and learning new skills.
S’mores is now up for adoption, and Mutt Luv Rescue is looking for a perfect family who will give him the home he deserves — and not care at all about his size.
“With a little support, he’s going to be the pawfect addition to the right family,” Meiches told The Dodo.
If you are interested in adopting S’mores, you can fill out an application with Mutt Luv Rescue. They are asking for serious applicants only.
It’s unbelievable that anyone would adopt and then quickly return a dog for being “too big,” but we hope S’mores finds a true forever home soon!
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