Blind senior dog was ‘up against the odds.’ Then her luck took a turn for the better
A blind senior dog was “up against the odds” — then her luck took a turn for the better.
Less than 24 hours after a North Carolina shelter posted an emotional plea on social media, Sophia the dog was adopted.
“Since Sophia is older and has some health-related issues, she’s not necessarily what a lot of people are looking for when they want to adopt a pet,” shelter spokesperson Samantha Ranlet told McClatchy News in a March 28 email. “But she deserves to be in a loving home just like any other pet, and it was really moving to see how many compassionate people came forward.”
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County said Sophia is settling into her new home after dozens of people offered to help her. The “overwhelming response” came after she experienced a rough patch.
Sophia’s previous owner was too sick to care for her, so she was surrendered to a different shelter. While there, she faced the risk of euthanasia due to crowding, according to the email and Facebook posts.
“Since she is up there in her years as well as blind and hard of hearing, she was really up against the odds to get adopted in a shelter full of animals — many of which being younger and in good health,” Ranlet wrote. “So bringing her to SPCA Wake where there’s no time limit on her adoption, and where we can provide more comprehensive medical care, was really an effort to save her life.”
After arriving at the Raleigh-area shelter, the 12-year-old pup became known for her “sweet,” laid-back demeanor. She’s often found napping or sunbathing, though she gets animated sometimes.
“Treats light her up most of all,” Ranlet wrote. “She can’t see where they are, but once she’s eaten one, she knows there must be more around somewhere, so she starts sniffing around voraciously trying to find another.”
As she waited for a home, the shelter hoped she would find a patient owner. The SPCA shared her story on social media, and the content resonated with people in North Carolina and beyond.
“It hurts our hearts to see her here at the shelter — she doesn’t understand why she’s alone or where her owner went,” the March 27 post read. “She’s confused and deserves more than to spend the rest of her days in a shelter.”
Then, the following day, the shelter shared the heartwarming news that the senior dog was adopted.
“It means so much to know that Sophia will get to spend the rest of her days in her new family’s laps, in their arms, curled up with her two new dog siblings, feeling peace and happiness,” the animal organization wrote in the March 28 post. “After such a jarring event so late in her life, she really deserves it, and it’s everything her former owner would have wanted for her and more.”
