As He Finally Finds A Home, The Shelter’s Longest-Serving Resident Receives A Standing Ovation

It was apparent when Big Mac came to the McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that he would have a long road to find a family. The big dog was frightened around strangers and wasn’t doing well in the shelter.

Lauren Mann, the shelter’s advancement manager, told The Dodo, “We’re not really sure what his living environment was like previous to coming to us, but it was quite obvious that he didn’t trust everyone straight away.” “With rewards and being out of the kennel and in the play yard, he warmed up.”

According to Mann, Big Mac was surrendered by his owner in December of last year because they “didn’t have time for him and were relocating.” Someone patient and kind was required at the shelter to convince the abandoned dog that humans weren’t all terrible.

But time passed, and Big Mac became the shelter’s longest-staying tenant.

Then, 260 days later, a miracle occurred: Big Mac permanently exited McKamey Animal Center.

One of the shelter volunteers agreed to foster him at her house, and after falling in love with the once-frightened dog, she decided to adopt him as a permanent member of her family.

“When my coworker took him home to foster, she said he slept for like 12 hours straight the first night and just really opened up and wanted to play with her other dog and even the cats,” Mann said. “He did a complete 180 and was a fantastic dog in general.”

Mac even learned to trust again thanks to the shelter worker’s dog.

“Her resident dog took him under his wing, and if they went on a stroll and he was afraid, her dog would say, ‘No, it’s OK,’” Mann explained. “And he’d demonstrate to him that it was all right and that people could be trusted.”

Mann and her staff wanted to do something special to mark Big Mac’s last departure from the shelter to go home with his new mom.

As he went out of the facility for the last time, the shelter workers gathered at the door to offer the longest resident a standing ovation.

Here’s the link to the charming video:

“His new mom was astonished at how effectively he handled it, indicating that he’s becoming better at dealing with stranger danger,” Mann said. “He was almost about to go… He was unconcerned by treats, pets, or anything else. He was just itching to get back home.”

Big Mac now lives in a loving home with a new family that will never abandon him.