Dog waited 7 years to find new home. Adoption came with a special ‘stamp of approval’

A dog who waited seven years to be adopted from a Pennsylvania animal shelter finally got her wish.

But that’s not all that made this adoption “extremely special” and induce tears from the Animal Resource Center staff.

The animal shelter in Bloomsburg, about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia, said the dog named Ella was the center’s longest resident. Things began to turn around for Ella when the shelter received an email from a woman named Kaitlyn, who said she was ready to adopt another dog months after her old dog — Jo — had died.

Kaitlyn had interest in adopting Ella, so the shelter set up meeting between the two.

“When Ella first saw Kaitlyn, we think she already knew, that this is MY person,” the shelter said in a Nov. 3 Facebook post. “Ella is a dog that has fear aggression and needs multiple visits for her to get comfortable with you. Not with Kaitlyn, it’s like Ella picked HER.”

As workers at the shelter noticed Kaitlyn get teary eyed, they soon realized what made the union so significant.

“She looked up at staff, pulling up a picture of her dog Jo, wearing a bandanna and said, ‘This bandanna that Ella is wearing, it’s Jo’s. I donated them all here when he passed,’” the shelter said.

“This specific bandanna. Jo’s bandanna. It was on Ella,” the center continued. “Kaitlyn said it best by saying, ‘I like to think of it as Jo’s stamp of approval,’ knowing it was meant to be.”

Kaitlyn adopted Ella, which left the shelter feeling “bittersweet.” But the shelter said in its post it was filled with “pure happiness” knowing Ella was finally adopted.

This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 7:47 AM with the headline "Dog waited 7 years to find new home. Adoption came with a special ‘stamp of approval’."