Tag: NC shelter

A loving dog has been in and out of a shelter since 2022 — and he needs another new home.

“Bandito is still with us, still waiting, and our hearts are getting heavier with each passing day,” Danielle Deschamps, communications coordinator for a North Carolina animal shelter, told McClatchy News in an Oct. 10 email.

Bandito has been adopted and returned four times over the past three years. Now, he waits for the “right match” at a shelter in the mountain town of Boone, a roughly 85-mile drive west from Winston-Salem.

“Bandito’s story began in 2022, when he arrived at Watauga Humane Society as a stray — thin, dehydrated, and barely holding on,” the shelter wrote in an online adoption profile. “We nursed him back to health, and he blossomed into a happy, goofy boy who finally found a home.”

But the situation didn’t work out. Bandito’s owner had medical problems and returned him, leading the pup to a new health journey.

“He was adopted for a year, but came back to us — 40 pounds heavier and with a little less light in his eyes,” Deschamps wrote. “The vet put him on a diet, and we’ve all tried to stay strong… but we love him so much, it’s possible we’ve each slipped him a few treats here and there. He’s part of our lives, and that makes it even harder to watch him keep waiting.”

Over time, Bandito has become known as a mixed-breed pup who wants a calm home without other pets. Once he feels comfortable, he “soaks up attention” and shows off his “affectionate” nature.

“We’ve posted him, dressed him up, taken him on adventures, and showed him off as much as we can, and still, no one has ever come just to meet him. That’s the heartbreak,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post. “Because behind all the posts and pictures is a dog who’s been waiting longer than most… and who deserves someone willing to walk through the door just for him.”

As of Oct. 13, the shelter’s website showed the 8-year-old pup was still up for adoption. Details about the animal organization’s adoption process can be found at wataugahumane.org.

“We don’t want him to grow old in an adoption center,” Deschamps wrote. “He deserves soft beds, quiet mornings, and someone who understands that love, for him, might look a little different.”