Shelter Dog Adopted After 640 Days—Takes ‘One Last Look Back’ Before Leaving

After spending almost half of her life in a shelter, 4-year-old terrier mix Louise has finally found her forever home, in an emotional farewell that’s since gone viral and was celebrated by the entire shelter.

Rachel Oldenburger shared the special moment in a post on Instagram, where she shares shelter updates under the handle @rachels.dogs.

Louise had been a resident at RG Cares Animal Shelter in New York for 640 days when she received a special send-off earlier this month.

“She spent just under 2 years in the shelter, almost half her life,” Oldenburger told Newsweek. “To see Louise finally get her forever home was incredibly emotional for the entire staff and volunteers.”

In 2024, approximately 7 million animals entered U.S. shelters and rescues, according to Shelter Animals Count—an increase of nearly 3 percent from 2023. By the end of the year, 103,000 more pets had entered shelters than had exited, contributing to an ongoing capacity crisis in U.S. shelters.

As shelters continue to struggle with capacity across the country, dogs are being placed on euthanasia lists to free up shelters. While many others continue to struggle with increased intake, high workloads, low adoption levels and lack of space, years after the problem first started to exasperate.

According to Oldenburger, Louise’s extended stay at the shelter was largely due to her being “dog selective”—a trait that made it difficult to find the right match.

“Many people just want a 100 percent dog-friendly dog and aren’t willing to put in the work to help a dog-selective dog become more comfortable around other dogs,” Oldenburger explained. “Or many potential adopters already had another dog in the house, which we wanted to avoid in order to create the most successful adoption story possible for Louise.”

Despite watching hundreds of other animals find homes, Louise remained behind the same four kennel walls for over 21 months. But that changed two weeks ago when what Oldenburger called “the perfect applicant” came forward.

In a video shared to Instagram earlier this week that has quickly gained viral attention, Louise walks out of the shelter to a chorus of applause from staff who gathered at the front to see her off. Her tail wagging, she steps into the next chapter of her life.

The moving caption said: “The way she took one last look back.”

“We don’t clap out every dog that gets adopted,” said Oldenburger. “We decided to do this special adoption farewell for Louise because she was the longest resident at the shelter… She deserved a special goodbye.”

Louise’s farewell video has resonated far beyond the shelter walls, with both Reels shared about her adoption gaining widespread attention. “She exudes happiness and love,” Oldenburger said. “Everyone can see what a special girl she is, and now her adopter can give her the life she has always deserved.”

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