After 300 days in a B.C. shelter, this dog finally found his forever home

Oso spent almost 300 days at a shelter before finding his forever home. (Image credit: BC SPCA)

A dog who spent the first three-and-a-half years of his life suffering and almost a year at a shelter has found his forever home, according to the BC SPCA.

Oso was adopted from the Comox branch of the charity after spending nearly 300 days in care. Before he was surrendered to the organization, he was kept outdoors tethered to a chain, only allowed to come indoors at night.

“A perfect match is worth the wait,” the BC SPCA said in an update on its website Friday.

“Even though Oso spent nearly a year at the animal centre, the BC SPCA staff and volunteers never gave up hope that Oso would find his perfect home forever.”

The BC SPCA highlighted the pup in its social media posts, trying to shine a light on the lovable, long-term resident in hopes someone would decide to take him home.

And their efforts paid off when Jonathan, whose last name is not provided, saw a photo of Oso at a birthday party the shelter threw for him.

He decided to go meet Oso in person. At the time, Jonathan told the charity, he was still grieving the loss of pet he described as his best friend and constant companion.

“He made such an impression on me, and when I left that day, I felt like I made a new, old friend,” Jonathan told the BC SPCA.

When Jonathan decided to take Oso home, the staff and volunteers at the shelter gave the dog a proper sendoff.

“We made Oso a ‘congratulations you are adopted’ cake before he left with Jonathan. It was such a mixture of emotions. We were so happy to see him leave with his new Dad, but we had all grown so attached to him, it was emotional to watch him walk out the door,” Stephanie Arkwright, manager of the BC SPCA’s Comox animal centre said in the update.

Jonathan and Oso have become inseparable, with the pup riding shotgun in his human’s truck.

“He’s a big boy and you wouldn’t think he was a cuddle-bug, but love and affection is what he needs more than anything. He is a giant teddy bear,” Jonathan told the BC SPCA.

“I can’t wait to take him on adventures and give him the life he deserves.”

Anyone who is interested in giving an animal a happy ending like Oso’s is encouraged to browse the website for a list of long-term residents.