“He was continually being overlooked.”
Introducing Martin, an elderly dog in dire need of a home after being left behind by his ailing family.
Martin was maybe 10 years old when he initially showed up at the Wake County SPCA. Although Martin’s father was devoted to him, he was unable to care for him anymore. As stated by Samantha Ranlet, the SPCA’s marketing communications expert, “His [dad] was 89 years old and reached a point where he couldn’t provide the life that he felt Martin deserved.” To The Dodo, Samantha Ranlet said “He desired for him a better life.”
In an attempt to help Martin find a place where he might live peacefully in his latter years, Martin’s father took the old dog to the animal shelter. Ranlet thought he adjusted rather well. “I don’t know if he understood what was happening, but even from day one, he was just this happy, easy-going, really sweet old man with a teddy bear face,” stated a witness. But because of Martin’s advanced age, it turned out to be harder than expected to locate a suitable adoptive.
Ranlet expressed dissatisfaction, saying “he kept getting passed over time and again.” In a span of two months, seven adoptions were unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. However, a number of other reasons also played a role in Martin’s adoption. Additionally, he tested positive for heartworms, which alarmed potential adopters. When the seventh adoption fell through, the SPCA staff decided to do something different to get the word out about Martin. We decided that the best way to share him and find a home for him was to utilize the internet to reach out to the community, said Ranlet.
Martin did, in fact, get the exposure he needed with only one Facebook post detailing his story and two pictures of his cute teddy bear face. According to Ranlet, “posting on Facebook made all the difference.” His message was shared by thousands of people, and suddenly we were getting calls, emails, and other correspondence about it.
“In less than 48 hours following the viral nature of Martin’s tweet, all adoption applications for the senior dog were filled. A couple who were familiar with older dogs filed one of the applications. “They weren’t afraid of his age or the heartworm disease he carried,” stated Ranlet.
His adorable vitality had them charmed from the beginning. For the past three weeks, Martin has been residing at the couple’s home. His adoption is not yet official, but it will happen soon because he still gets heartworm medicine at the Wake County SPCA on weekends. As soon as he receives his therapy, they will officially announce the adoption, according to Ranlet. He still has another month or two left.
Though Hilltop, his younger cat sister, and Martin get along well, Martin is the lone dog in his new home. Though they see Martin on his regular heartworm checks, the SPCA team misses him every day. Nevertheless, they are ecstatic that he overcame all obstacles to find the perfect home, and they hope that his narrative will inspire others to adopt older dogs. Ranlet said that it was good to give older dogs greater consideration.
“It helps people remember that adopting them is worthwhile, too.”
