After spending seven long years at the Triple A Marbella animal shelter in Spain, a dog has finally found a permanent home.
The American Staffordshire Terrier Bipo was finally adopted at the end of July and has now found happiness to spend his “final years” there.
Angelika Kusanova, head of the adoption department at the animal shelter, said Newsweek: “Bipo was at Triple A Marbella for a long time. His friends came and went during the seven years he was here. After 2,730 days of waking up in a kennel with cement floors and metal walls, he was adopted at the end of July and is now living his best life in the Netherlands.”
In 2023, 6.5 million animals entered U.S. animal shelters, according to Shelter Animals Count, 4 percent more than in 2022. At the end of 2023, there were 117,000 more dogs and cats in the shelter system than in the same period last year.
@gentlepawsrescue/TikTok
In 2023, approximately 850,000 animals were euthanized in animal shelters, a 15 percent increase compared to 2022. Animal shelters strive to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spay and neuter programs, and behavioral rehabilitation.
Bipo was adopted as a puppy and returned to the Triple A Marbella shelter at just one year old. His breed, which is on the Spanish PPP list (Dogs potentially at riskor potentially dangerous dogs) made it difficult for him to find a new home.
Breeds like Bipo – American Staffordshire Terriers, Pitbulls and American Bullies – often have to wait long times in shelters and have the best chance of being adopted by owners outside Spain.
To make matters even more complicated, 8-year-old Bipo has a few minor health issues that made it even more difficult for him to find a home. During his time at the shelter, he also had surgery on his leg, adding to the list of challenges he faced. His black fur didn’t help either, as it made him less visible to potential adopters and therefore more likely to be ignored.
Eventually, the shelter posted a call to action on its TikTok page for anyone interested in Bipo, and the video quickly caught the attention of people who wanted to see him find his perfect home.
Fortunately, Bipo’s luck changed when a family in the Netherlands fell in love with him and came to Spain to adopt him.
“Now Bipo lives in his dream house in the Netherlands, with his mom and dad, who love him very much and spoil him for all the years he missed,” Kusanova said. “He takes the tram into the city like a responsible citizen and he hates the rain, so he will have quite a fashionable wardrobe of rain jackets.”
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