Smokey was adopted as a young puppy into a loving family that adored him and made sure he had plenty of toys. Among them all, one stood out—a stuffed elephant with oversized ears that Smokey cherished above all else. Although he could have destroyed it in mere moments, he treated it with great care, carrying it with him on walks and cuddling with it every night as he slept.
For five happy years, Smokey thrived in a home full of love and care. But when he turned five, his life took an unexpected turn, and everything he had known was about to change.
Smokey’s world fell apart when his owner lost his job, and financial struggles began to take their toll. Downsizing their home wasn’t enough to make ends meet, and feeding Smokey became a challenge. Desperate to find a solution, his family reached out to friends and acquaintances, hoping someone could take care of him. But no one could accommodate a dog of Smokey’s size.
When they learned they would lose their home, the family’s efforts to rehome Smokey intensified. Sadly, it became clear that there were no options left. Faced with no other choice, they made the heartbreaking decision to surrender him to a shelter. On his final day with them, they brought Smokey to the shelter with his beloved stuffed elephant, saying a tearful goodbye that would change both their lives forever.
Smokey, however, was devastated. The sudden loss of his family and the adjustment to the unfamiliar, chaotic shelter environment was more than he could bear. His once bright and lively spirit faded. Severe anxiety took hold, and Smokey stopped engaging with anyone. He didn’t play, eat much, or respond to the shelter volunteers’ attempts to comfort him. Instead, he retreated to a corner of his crate, clutching his precious elephant, the last remnant of the life he had lost.
The shelter scrambled to get him adopted as soon as they possibly could as accommodations for intaking animals were extremely limited. The photos of him with his elephant drew attention from potential adopters, and the shelter was extremely hopeful that he would be adopted soon.
But every time a family came to see if they connected with him, he would hide in the corner. When they tried to approach him, he was so scared that he would growl. Since he started to show signs of aggression, the shelter was forced to take him off the list of “adoptable dogs.” Unfortunately, this essentially put him on death row, and he was headed towards being put down.
The shelter didn’t have the space or ability to accommodate a dog that they couldn’t get adopted. So the date was set. He had to be adopted by then or he would be euthanized. But the shelter wasn’t going to give-up. They didn’t want Smokey to die.
So they started to search for other rescues that could take Smokey. They knew he would do so much better out of a stressful shelter environment. Thankfully, I Have A Dream rescue organization swooped in at the nick of time to save him. They promised that they would find him the perfect foster, and that they were willing to be incredibly patient to find him the forever family of his dreams.
As soon as he moved in with a foster family, everything changed. All the stress he was feeling in the shelter seemed to melt away. Suddenly, he had so much energy and was willing to play. Much earlier than they expected, the rescue decided to make him available for adoption again.
But first, they wanted to reach out to his former family and see if they were able to take care of him again. Unfortunately, they still weren’t in a fitting financial position to take him back. They were just so grateful that he was saved from being put down and that he would be able to live a lovely life.
The pictures of him clutching his beloved stuffed elephant made him very popular on social media. So it wasn’t long after he was officially up for adoption that Smokey, with his favorite stuffed toy in tow, found himself a wonderful new forever family.
See Smokey’s heartfelt story of hope below.
Featured Image: YouTube
Toledo, United States.
