When people adopt dogs from shelters, many times, the dogs return because the adoptions just didn’t work the way people had hoped. Sometimes the dogs don’t get along with other pets, or they are more than the adopters thought they could handle. And sometimes, dogs have their own set of plans and run away from their new homes. One dog, named Gumby has been returned to the shelter by his various adopters a total of 11 times!
Gumby was brought into the Charleston Animal Society (CAS), no-kill shelter as a stray in September of 2014. He appears to be a Coon-Mix. This breed is often used by hunters. Dogs sometimes run away or are cruelly abandoned if the owners aren’t pleased with the dog’s hunting skills. We don’t know why Gumby was found as a stray, but we do know that this wouldn’t be the last time that he was returned to the shelter.
Over the next year and a half, Gumby was adopted out, only to show up at the shelter again and again. This happened 11 times! With each adoption the shelter staff would explain his background and the fact that he was a master escape artist. People kept adopting him, with some of the homes seeming very promising. But Gumby just kept coming back to the shelter. Sometimes he’d escape, and an animal control officer or a Good Samaritan would bring him in. Other times he’d be surrendered back to the shelter by the people who adopted him.
Finally, the compassionate staff at CAS decided that they would officially adopt Gumby into their staff forever. Gumby has become an official ambassador for the shelter and a comforter to dogs who arrive frightened. Gumby has a gift of calming dogs down. He also became a blood donor for kittens who had eye infections. Gumby’s blood had healing properties in the serum.
Gumby Finds His Calling
We don’t know why this dog couldn’t accept another home and be happy there. Maybe it’s because he had and still has important work to do at the shelter. One thing we know for sure is that Gumby has found his calling and is much-loved right where he is.
