PHOENIX — Gus arrived at the Arizona Humane Society on July 31, 2018. He had been found in Glendale.
He was placed on stray hold but no one ever came to claim the 12-year-old Australian shepherd mix, according to the Arizona Humane Society.
A release from AHS called him "grumpy ol’ Gus," because he apparently took a while (roughly 276 days) to even warm up to the staff.
In the release, AHS spokesperson Bretta Nelson described Gus has "one of those friends you sometimes have who are usually a bit cranky and sarcastic, but you see the good in them so you remain friends."
“He always made me laugh because I would go out of my way to enthusiastically greet him in his kennel and he would just look at me like I was crazy and then turn his head the other way,” she said.
AHS said Gus was just very nervous around new people, and apparently didn't really care to give them much attention. That included his potential adopters. He would even quietly growl or nip at some.
"People would often have to visit him on several different occasions simply because he really wouldn’t give them the time of day," AHS wrote in a release.
AHS said Gus was adopted once in November of 2018 but returned shortly after "due to landlord issues."
Including his brief adoption, Gus spent 311 total days at AHS at which point he finally seemed to start enjoying himself there.
"So much so, he had to be put on a diet because everyone was giving him too many treats," AHS said.
Gus's new home is in Phoenix with mom Danielle who visited the old guy six times before adopting him, according to AHS.
"Gus’ story is certainly one of perseverance and showcases that there is a home out there for every pet regardless of how long it may take," AHS said. "There was not a dry eye in the house and clearly, the two soulmates couldn’t be happier!"
