Bait Dog That Spent 700 Days In A Shelter Finally Finds A Home For Christmas

When you are a senior pitbull in an animal shelter, it is unlikely that you will ever find a home. Unfortunately, that is where a nine-year-old pit bull named Jack Sparrow found himself spending more than 700 days at the New York SPCA. Jack was rescued from a dogfighting ring in Syracuse after being used as a bait dog.

Even though he was sweet-natured, Jack continued to be overlooked at the shelter.

You can still see the scars of Jack’s past life as a bait dog. The patches of missing fur on his back are permanent, his eyes are cloudy and he is almost blind in one eye.

The SPCA Humane educator, Dee Shafer had the following to say about Jack’s temperament: “He came in in January of 2018,” Schaefer explained to CBS5.

“He’s kind of a special needs guy,” she continued. “His outside is not beautiful, but his inside is.”

Shafer was determined to find Jack the home that he deserved. “He deserves, in the last years of his life, to understand what a loving home is like,” she said. “He doesn’t deserve to be in the shelter forever.”

Farah Jadran, a CNY Central journalist heard about Jack and met him in March 2019. She went on Facebook to ask someone to adopt him: “He is a bit shy and scared,” Jadran explained. “Can you blame him?”

“He needs medical care,” the journalist added, “and if you ask me, he deserves a second chance.” The post went viral but months still went by without anyone adopting poor Jack.

One thing that did come from the viral post, however, was the attention of a benefactor who would sponsor the adoption. An orthopedic bed was even purchased to go home with the elderly dog to make him comfortable. The only thing that Jack was missing now was a willing family.

Social media continued to be the area where the SPCA searched for a home for Jack. On September 12, 2019, they wrote: “Can you imagine spending over 600 days in a kennel, watching people come and go, watching them walk past your kennel and choose someone other than you every single time?

“We need your help,” they added, “someone who will choose him and love him just the way he is.”

Jack needs to take maintenance medication for heartworm for the rest of his life. He also needed to be the only animal in the home where he was adopted. Schaefer told CBS5, “He just needs love. And he needs someone to understand him.”

Things finally changed on December 14, 2019. A couple had recently lost their rescue dog and visited the shelter. They were familiar with special case adoption and they bonded with Jack.

“They saw Jack’s story and they fell in love,” Schaefer told CNY Central. “Jack was just leaning into the woman’s chest, just getting his ears scratched, and every single one of us knew this was going to be the right home for this dog.”

They started the process soon enough for Jack to be in his forever home by Christmas.