‘Sweet’ dog with rough past is ‘over’ shelter life after 300 days of waiting in Florida

A “sweet” dog has spent more than 300 days in a Florida shelter — and he’s “over it.”

Now, Ace the partially blind dog needs a home where he can get relief, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Brevard.

“As a result of his rapidly declining eyesight combined with the high stress of shelter life, Ace has begun to act out,” the shelter wrote April 13 in a Facebook post. “He gets lots of free-roaming time in our yards and offices, but when it’s time to go back to the kennel, he is NOT a happy guy. He can be very pushy and defiant with our staff.”

When he’s not running from his kennel, Ace is described as a “lover” and a “happy-go-lucky” dog. The 3-year-old pup is ready to get a second chance after he was rescued in May.

“He was found living outside tied up next to the bodies of two other dogs that had tragically already passed away,” the wer wrote. “He was emaciated and had undoubtedly been treated very poorly by the last humans present in his life, but right from the moment he greeted officers, he was sweet and friendly.”

Now, almost a year after his rescue, the SPCA said Ace has been losing his vision and is “almost completely blind.” He has been in behavioral training but needs to leave the shelter environment to better address his anxiety.

“His time out of the kennel is basically the only thing he has to look forward to each day, so he’s really not coping well when that gets taken away from him,” the shelter wrote. “He’s been stuck here for 317 days and he’s finally telling us that he is 100% OVER IT. Don’t let this scare you off though!”

The shelter believes Ace is being overlooked because of his vision loss and his more than 300-day stay in the shelter. He also needs a home without kids or other animals.

“All of those things really just stack up against him if somebody’s looking on our website or talking to our adoption counselors,” Tom Baumann, shelter manager, told McClatchy News in phone interview.

As of April 15, Ace was in need of a foster or adoptive home to give him a chance. Anyone interested in taking him home is asked to contact shelter_manager@spcabrevard.com.

The SPCA of Brevard is in Titusville, a roughly 40-mile drive east from Orlando.

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