Florida Dog Who Struggled with 'Stranger Danger' Finds Ideal Home After 8 Years in Shelter
Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch
Chase is finally in his forever home!
Until recently, Chase — a nine-year-old, Rhodesian ridgeback/hound mix — had lived at Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic and Ranch in Palm City, Florida, for all but one year of his life. But on July 23, after over eight years at the shelter, Chase's life changed.
On that Saturday, Tracie Lundy, a former Furry Friends employee who now owns a pet sitting business in Jensen Beach, adopted Chase.
"When I met Chase in 2019, I was blown away to find out that he had been living at the Furry Friends Ranch facility since January of 2014," Lundy, 52, tells PEOPLE.
"He wasn't particularly friendly and acted standoffish, so potential adopters overlooked him. I could see that he had 'stranger danger,'" she adds.
This shyness didn't bother Lundy, a long-time dog lover, from getting to know Chase in 2019. She started slowly by giving him treats, then accompanying whoever was walking him at the Furry Friends 30-acre ranch (Furry Friends has another facility in Jupiter) until he was comfortable having her walk him alone.
Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch
"I was a volunteer dog walker at Furry Friends until I became an employee and dog caregiver," says Lundy. "It was not love at first sight with Chase, which is why I approached him slowly. But once I got to know him and got beyond his hard exterior and tough guy act, I saw that he was mellow and mushy inside. He eventually gave me kisses."
Even though Lundy left Furry Friends to concentrate on her pet sitting business, she kept in touch with Furry Friends and Chase.
"I told Chase them that when the time was right, I would be back for him," says Lundy.
Lundy decided to adopt Chase after one of her dogs passed away recently, and she had more room in her home. She called Jason Gluck, the CEO of Furry Friends, to start the process, and two hours later, she picked up Chase and took him home with her.
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"Tracie never forgot about Chase," Gluck tells PEOPLE. "As hard as we try at Furry Friends to provide dogs like Chase the love and care they deserve, it is no substitute for a home with their very own family to love. I am full of both joy and sadness for this amazing soul who spent almost his entire life in a shelter."
Samantha "Sam" Torres, a team lead at Furry Friends Ranch, is the employee who found Chase in 2014. Torres met the dog after Furry Friends received a call from a concerned Jupiter, Florida, resident who had seen the dog running loose.
"We think Chase was owned by someone who used him for fighting," Torres, 34, tells PEOPLE.
Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch
Chase eluded Torres' catching attempts for over four hours until the rescuer won him over with food.
"I convinced him to eat small pieces of cold pizza," says Torres. "After enjoying the food, he rolled on his back, warmed up, and soon jumped into our minivan."
Through Chase's years at Furry Friends, the staffers grew to love the "super sweet" dog, but he would bark at people who wanted to adopt him, which scared many off until Lundy.
Chase is transitioning nicely to adopted life in the apartment attached to Lundy's home, which allows the canine to have his own space apart from Lundy's other dogs.
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"I put him in the furnished studio apartment and hang with him there and during our walks," says Lundy. "After so many years of living in a kennel, I thought the adoption would be a big adjustment, but he is doing fine and sleeps through the night. No howling. He is a couch potato!"
Chase also likes to dig, so Lundy is building him a sandbox. And for the dog's upcoming 10th birthday, Lundy plans to host a party with Chase's favorite food: cold "doggie" pizza.
For now, Lundy and Chase are enjoying every second of their time together as a family.
"He is so happy!" Lundy says of Chase today.
