He found his home. That’s the sentence I’ve been waiting months to write, and the one I reread twice when his owner’s message came in today checking-in, telling her about our growing YouTube channel.  The good boy found a new home! Months of sending any lead beyond the ones below, taking pictures of people's t-shirts in public who do animal rescue, bumping into K-9 for warriors contacts and sending them along - the sweet boy found a new home!

I met him through Rover, a gentle, fixed male pitbull with the kind of broad, blocky head that makes strangers nervous until they see him roll over for belly rubs. He arrived with his favorite blanket, a well-loved toy, and a bag of food labeled with clear instructions from an owner who obviously cared. From the start, it was clear this dog was loved, not abandoned.

Day to day, he settled into my home like he’d been there all along. We built a routine: slow morning walks, a check-in on the squirrels, then breakfast and a nap in a patch of sun he claimed as his own. Inside, he was all softness—content to curl up by my desk while I worked, lifting his head whenever I stood up, just in case that meant “outside” or “snack.” That quiet presence is what stays with me most.

Sometimes not all dogs can stay with their owners their whole lives.  It happens.  After caring for him, a month or so later the owner reached out with the kind of message you never want to get about a dog; re-homing.  She didn't elaborate on the circumstances, and I didn't ask.  It wasn't the dog.  Perhaps it was housing, family things, who knows and we aren't here to judge.  You could feel the weight between the lines. This wasn’t a casual “we’re done with him.” It was a parent trying to find and do what was best for the good boy. We talked honestly about options. She wasn’t looking to drop him at a shelter door and walk away. She wanted him safe, loved, and alive.

We agreed on one thing immediately: before surrendering him anywhere, we would look for rescues, fosters, and safe re-homing routes across nearby counties in Florida.  It is bittersweet work loving and letting go. 

Fostering or temporarily boarding a dog you’ve grown attached to is its own quiet emotional job. You feed them, learn their quirks, find that one spot behind the ear that makes their eyes close halfway.  You know the food, treats, moods, excitement and all the parts of the body from petting and loving on them.  I couldn't take the sweet boy given my two elders and a growing organization; it would be too much. Pitbulls are also a special breed and harder to adopt out. 

As we looked for options, I started compiling contacts and referrals for animal services and rescues around Putnam, Alachua, and Clay Counties. If you’re in this region and facing a similar situation, these are some places to start:

• Putnam County Animal Services – Putnam County – Phone: (386) 329-0396 – Website: Putnam County Animal Services – County-run shelter that accepts owner surrenders and works to place adoptable dogs and cats in new homes.
  
  Paws for Putnam – Putnam County – Phone: (386) 559-3398 (listed on public contact pages and social profiles) – Website: Paws for Putnam – Nonprofit that supports animals from Putnam County Animal Services, helping them find foster and adoptive homes.
  
  S.A.F.E. Pet Rescue, Inc. – Putnam County – Phone: (386) 325-1590 (commonly listed on rescue directories and local outreach materials) – Website: S.A.F.E. Pet Rescue – Rescue group based in Hollister that pulls dogs and cats from area shelters and places them with adopters.
  
  Clay County Animal Services – Clay County – Phone: (904) 269-6342 – Website: Clay County Animal Services – County shelter offering intake, adoption, foster programs, and support for lost and found pets. 
  
  Safe Animal Shelter – Clay County – Phone: (904) 276-7233 – Website: Safe Animal Shelter – Oldest no-kill shelter in Clay County, providing adoption and rescue services for dogs and cats.

For Alachua County, readers can look up Alachua County Animal Services and Gainesville-area rescues and humane societies, which regularly work with owners in crisis to keep pets out of high-intake shelters and help with re-homing.

These aren’t magic wands, but they are staffed by people who understand that “I can’t keep my dog” can hurt as much as “my dog is missing.” They know how to help navigate that pain into a plan.

Today, after months of checking in, sharing information, and quietly wondering where his story would land, his owner messaged to say he’d been successfully rehomed. That single update changed the whole emotional tone of his stay in my memory. He wasn’t a dog I lost track of; he was a dog who made it home, even if it’s a different home than the one he started in. That kind of closure is a gift. It doesn’t erase the hard parts, but it makes them worth it.  It's also part of what we need to be doing more of in the community. 

Stories like his are part of the quiet work of local animal care—fosters, boarders, rescues, and neighbors stepping up when life gets complicated. As someone who offers boarding and daycare, I see both sides: the joy of extra dogs in the house and the knot in someone’s stomach when they admit they might not get their dog back. When we link that everyday care with local rescues and shelters, we give families more options than “keep him illegally” or “drop him off and hope.”

If you’re facing housing or life challenges and worried about what that means for your pet, please reach out to a local rescue or animal services office before surrendering in panic. Ask about foster networks, re-homing assistance, and short-term boarding, and remember that people like me—fosters, Rover sitters, and small boarding business owners—are already in your neighborhood, ready to help hold your dog safely while you figure things out. Your situation is hard, but you and your dog deserve a thoughtful plan, and there’s more support out there than you might think.

eventually

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