Every year, around 2 million dogs are adopted from animal shelters across the US. Finding a forever home is a true blessing that every dog deserves. See just how amazing dog adoption can be by reading stories from our subscribers.

How Bailey Found Her Forever Home 

Bailey is a sweet Shih Tzu mix who was adopted by his pet parent, DJ. He loves the dog park, exploring his surroundings, and sleeping on DJ’s feet while she works. His only dislike is brushing his teeth, so DJ keeps his teeth healthy with dental chews. 

“He likes puzzle toys, because he’s super smart and likes to be challenged,” DJ explains. “He’s also really stubborn – maybe too smart for his own good. So he’s not particularly interested in learning tricks beyond ‘sit’ and ‘come’. He’s very curious and can be attentive to the point of making my heart melt.”

Before adopting Bailey, DJ was the pet parent to another Shih Tzu mix named Duncan. She says that Duncan was “her closest companion” and they spent 7 amazing years together. Sadly, Duncan developed cancer that could not be treated after years of suffering from severe food allergies. 

“He was such a trooper, and I was completely heartbroken after he crossed the rainbow bridge. I wasn’t sure that I would ever have another dog because I didn’t want to experience that pain again.” 

Despite her heartbreak from losing Duncan, DJ’s family encouraged her to at least consider adopting another dog. She began browsing adoption sites to see if any dog could be a good fit for her. 

“I knew no pup could ever really replace Duncan, but I felt that having another companion would be good for me, and if I could rescue one who seemed to really need me, then it might be worth it.” 

Bailey’s picture appeared on an adoption site and DJ’s heart was immediately stolen by the pup’s underbite. The dog’s description on the website seemed to check all of DJ’s boxes, so she called the adoption agency. 

She found out that Bailey was around 18 months at the time, but was fully potty trained and was doing well in his foster home. Bailey had already been working with a trainer to correct some reactive behavior and he was showing signs of progress. 

“Bailey was adopted from a high-kill shelter in Texas where a family had dropped him off because they were apparently afraid he’d get their new female puppy pregnant. I doubt that’s the whole story because there is a simple solution to that problem, but that’s all the foster home knew.”

DJ decided to make the four-hour drive to meet Bailey in person. He ended up coming home with her that day. 

“When I met him, he was rather timid, but other than some fairly normal barking when I first arrived, he did not seem particularly afraid of me and showed no signs of aggressive behavior. While sitting with him and getting to know him, the foster mother told me that she feared he might be labeled as ‘unadoptable’ before I showed an interest in him. This rescue agency doesn’t like to put dogs down, but his aggressive nature was such that, even though he hadn’t bitten anyone, they weren’t sure they’d be able to find a home for him. 

Instantly, my heart melted. Of course, he was scared – he’d not had anyone to show him love and commitment.”

The human and dog instantly connected and settled into a routine. Bailey’s aggression never manifested towards DJ. Like many other dogs, his reactivity manifested by barking at people and dogs who walked near his house or too close to them on walks. 

DJ has been working with Bailey to correct his reactive behavior, and they have been working with a trainer who speciailizes in reactive dogs for almost a year now. She’s happy to report that Bailey is doing so much better. 

At the recommendation of the trainer, DJ added another pup to the family – a mini Aussie named Willow. Willow has helped Bailey’s confidence grow, and they get along really well.

DJ chooses to feed Sundays to Bailey and Willow because of it is convenient and simple. Her former dog's food allergies required that she make his food herself, which was not only time-consuming but took up a lot of room in her freezer.

“It was shortly after I adopted Bailey that I discovered Sundays and we both love it. It’s easy for me and he seems to really like the flavor, especially when I add just a little bit of water to it.” 

Bailey enjoys both the turkey and chicken Sundays recipes every day. Willow enjoys all three recipes, so DJ switches up which recipe she feeds them every so often. They are both happy and healthy Sundays subscribers! 

A Pup Named Pepsi 

Another lucky shelter pup who found her forever home is a 3 ½ year-old Dapple Chiweenie named Pepsi. Her pet parents, Tim and Cris, adopted her from the Humane Society of Sonoma County after seeing her profile on the shelter’s site. 

Pepsi’s name felt like a sign to Cris because it was her father-in-law’s favorite drink and they happened to be looking at the site on the anniversary of his passing. So she and Tim went to the shelter to take a look at the pup for themselves.

“We went to the shelter but couldn’t find her so we thought she had already been adopted. Luckily, we asked about her before we left and the adoption supervisor said she was still there, in the back because she was so stressed out and on anxiety meds.” 

The adoption supervisor even asked if they wanted to see a list of Pepsi’s “issues” before they met her. Tim and Cris weren’t too worried about any issues the dog had and were interested in meeting her to see if she would be a good fit for them. 

“Almost every behavioral issue on their list was checked off – separation anxiety, fear of strangers, environmental anxiety, handling issues, eating apprehension, and possible fear of men. We were told she had been running the streets of Stockton, CA with two other dogs, had possibly been shot, was caught, and taken to the Stockton shelter before getting transferred to HSSC.” 

Pepsi’s runaway pals were adopted first, so she was very lonely after that. She was eventually adopted and then sadly returned to the shelter a month later. Her former pet parents wouldn’t even say why they were returning Pepsi to the shelter. 

After learning Pepsi’s full history, the adoption advisor asked if Tim and Cris still wanted to meet her. They said yes and the pup was brought out for them to visit. 

“We sat with her for a while and she kept her distance and stared at us, but didn’t seem panicky or freaked out, just observant. I’ve worked with animals all my life, and my husband and I felt we could overcome her problems. We thought she just needed stability, security, and love after her tumultuous start. I work from home, so I would be with her all the time. And even if she didn’t want to be a snuggly dog, she’d at least have a safe and loving forever home.” 

Needless to say, Tim and Cris adopted Pepsi and happily welcomed her into their home. They anticipated Pepsi to be shy at first, but after opening her crate, Cris was surprised when the pup crawled right into her lap with her tail wagging. 

“She was great with our cats and found a ball and immediately wanted to play fetch. In no time she was tearing around the kitchen chasing the ball and bringing it back to us, bright-eyed and prancing. She slept between us in bed that night. She was taken off her anxiety meds. We’ve had her for eight months now and she’s happy and full of energy.” 

Although the shelter had hesitations about Pepsi, the Chiweenie proved them wrong. Pepsi is a “happy, energetic, and affectionate princess.” She’s obsessed with playing fetch to the point that Tim and Cris suspect there must be some Retriever in her DNA. 

“She also likes to go for walks and take power naps. She likes to go with us to town. She goes to restaurants and cafes with us in her travel bag, and everyone loves her. Especially us!” 

Pepsi’s true issue after being adopted was finding food that worked for her. Tim and Cris believe that Pepsi had some association with food and stress because treats were used to initially catch her and coax her out of her cage in the shelter. 

“Initially, we tried every type of food from the feed store just to get her to eat something – dehydrated, slow-cooked, human-grade wet food, canned – and ended up throwing most of it away or giving it to the shelter. She would only eat chicken breast but we needed to ensure that she got all of the nutrients she needed. She had anxiety about going to her bowl, so we needed the best food that wouldn’t turn if it took her a while to eat it.” 

That’s when Tim and Cris turned to Sundays for Dogs. Since the food is air-dried and shelf-stable, the fresh ingredients in the food were preserved and wouldn’t go bad when left out in Pepsi’s bowl. 

“Sundays was perfect all around. We can also put it in her Kong when we leave her at home, which is handy. Sundays has truly solved all our issues and we are so thankful.”

Pepsi’s favorite version of Sundays is the all-natural turkey recipe. Tim and Cris say the food has helped to resolve her food stress. 

When Lucas Met Allie 

Lucas is a 5-year-old dog who was adopted by his pet parents, Allie and Jack. They adopted the mixed breed pup from a no-kill animal shelter called PAWS Atlanta.

“When we came to PAWS for the first time, we had a few dogs in mind based off their website,” Allie explained. “However, the staff there showed us a dog they had recently received a few days earlier that hadn’t yet made it to the website. He was the first and only dog that we saw. We took him for a walk and instantly fell in love with his gentle and loving temperament.”

Due to heartworms, Lucas couldn’t be adopted until after he received treatment. But Allie and Jack still fostered him until he was healthy and he was then permanently welcomed to their forever home. 

“Lucas is such a fun dog! He absolutely loves being outside and going for walks. At home, he has a huge toy collection, mostly plush ones, and he loves to ‘herd’ the toys into specific areas when he isn’t playing with them.” 

After taking a doggy DNA test, Allie and Jack learned that Lucas is a mixed breed with primarily Border Collie, American Bulldog, and Chow Chow genes. No matter what breed mix Lucas was, his pet parents wanted to feed him a high-quality dog food diet. 

“We wanted to make sure Lucas had the healthiest diet possible. After doing some research online, we learned of Sundays and decided it was the perfect option for us and Lucas.” During mealtime, you can find Lucas enjoying bites of Sundays’ chicken recipe.