500 days of waiting: Liam adoption story shows challenges long-term shelter animals face

Imagine having to wait for something for a short while, like an Amazon package or a food delivery. It isn't that agonizing a wait.

Now imagine having to wait on those things for months, even years at a time. Not as fun of a wait anymore, is it?

That is the reality for long-term shelter animals, like Liam at the Humane Society Pet Rescue Adoption Center in Gadsden.

Fortunately, Liam — more affectionately known by shelter workers and volunteers as “Scooby” — finally found a home on April 8.

Others still wait, however.

A Great Dane mix, Liam had been with the shelter since he was brought in as a stray more than 500 days earlier. He reached that milestone on April 1, according to Casey Champion, HSPRAC shelter manager. “He was brought back twice at no fault of his own,” she said. “It just didn't work out.”

Champion described Liam as “a super great dog” who loves all people and is great with other dogs; staff members often brought him out for play groups with the rest of the shelter dogs

“He grew up here,” she said, “I remember when he was a little bitty thing and now he’s this big dog.”

Champion said Liam’s ideal home was with someone who can spend a lot of time with him. She said he can jump, but is also very gentle around kids. However, he is not a big fan of cats or livestock animals such as chickens.

“He loves to go on hikes with people and is not the type of dog that can be cooped up in a room all day,” she said. “He loves to be around people and go on walks.”

Liam’s story, along with other animals at the shelter, had also gained some virality online. HSPRAC posted a TikTok video of him on its profile, which has garnered more than 600,000 views and over 40,000 likes, with more than 1,000 comments wishing him good luck in finding a home or wanting to look into adopting him themselves.

WATCH: Liam's viral TikTok

Champion said social media has become a vital tool in the shelter’s operations, helping increase their animals’ odds of being adopted.

“Our social media being boosted has been a huge help,” she said, “Volunteers posting our dogs and talking about them allows our long-term dogs to get out faster.”

Their odds of adoption are also improved through working with local rescues and the new foster system in place at HSPRAC.

“We used to not have a foster system, and putting one in place has been a great thing,” Champion said.

However, it was the virality of Liam's video that finally gartered him a new home. The shelter was able to place him with a woman in Chattanooga, who has since started Liam his very own TikTok account to continue to provide people updates on his life.

"He was adopted through the viral post on our page," said Brittany Hicks, one of the shelter workers, "A lady from Chattanooga ... saw his post and drove down here on Friday to come pick him up. The videos she is posting are just really cute."

Long-term stays in a shelter can be “horrible” for an animal’s mental state, reflected Champion, as being cooped up in a kennel for most of the day without interaction from people can be mentally draining.

Maddie's Fund, a grant-based charity that works with animals, says long-term shelter stays can also result in behavioral issues such as separation anxiety and house training regression.

“The inevitable conclusion is that the rehoming experience, especially through an animal shelter, can cause or exacerbate existing behavior problems, and the shelter experience itself then negatively impacts the dog’s adoptability and increases the likelihood of future relinquishment,” according to its website.

However, Hicks reassured that Liam was going to a good home, as his new owner has much experience with rescue dogs that have been in a similar situation as Liam.

"We are absolutely thrilled to see him go to a good home. His new owner has experience with rescue dogs, especially dogs like Liam who have been adopted and brought back," she said, "She has been really good with getting acclimated to a new home and has went above and beyond with providing the necessities to see him thrive."

Champion said when an animal is in a shelter for a long period of time, it is usually because potential adopters are judging the book by its cover.

“Most of the time it’s the look of the dog that gets them ignored,” she said. “There’s also kennel barrier issues and we often have to bring out the dog from their kennel so people can get a much better look at him.”

She said the shelter previously would have a long wait on dogs who were heartworm positive, but that has not been an issue since the implementation of a treatment plan with a local veterinarian.

Champion’s biggest piece of advice for adopters is to spend as much time with the animal as you can before making an official decision on whether to bring them home.

“Bring your kids and other furry friends to make sure they all get along,” she said, “The adoption qualifications vary from animal to animal, as they all have different needs that have to be met.”

Petfinder, a pet adoption website now owned by Purina, also has a checklist for potential adopters to see if an animal would be a good fit.

Those interested in adopting or fostering Liam or any other animal at HSPRAC can visit https://hsprac.com/ or apply in person at 4200 Brooke Ave. The shelter is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: What happens when an animal stays in a shelter for a long time?