Construction worker met dog while building at shelter. Then came heartwarming adoption
A construction worker met a dog while building at an animal shelter — then came a heartwarming adoption.
“We knew that it was going to be the right fit for him, someone who kind of already previously knew him, someone who knew his background, someone who knew they could work with him,” Florida shelter spokesperson Peyton Davis told McClatchy News in an Aug. 13 phone interview.
King is starting his next chapter after he came to the Humane Society of Pinellas in rough shape. When he arrived in June, he had a 7-pound mass on his face.
“It was 10% of his entire body weight...” Davis said. “He could barely pick his head up. He could barely move around.”
Despite his condition, King was a “sweet” 5-year-old dog eager to give kisses. He became known for his resilience.
“King’s spirit was unbroken; even though he was uncomfortable and in pain, he had an inspiring upbeat attitude and only wanted to be loved,” the shelter wrote in a past Facebook post.
Shelter workers didn’t know what King’s fate would be when he went into a “difficult” surgery to get the mass removed. The procedure was a success, and the mass turned out to be benign. Though the shelter doesn’t know how the lump formed, Davis said it could have stemmed from an infection that was neglected.
After the surgery freed his movements, the pup had to relearn how to play. He also was heartworm positive and started receiving treatment, according to Davis.
“Due to his heartworm treatment King had to be on leash walk only and our dedicated staff members would take him out on long walks and kept him entertained with lots of (enrichment),” the shelter wrote on social media. “During one of these long walks King was introduced to a construction worker who was working on our brand new Sjouwerman Adoption Center.”
The worker “slowly fell in love with” King and asked to become his foster parent as Tropical Storm Debby hit Florida in August. Then came the good news that King had a permanent new home.
“Fate stepped in and King was adopted by this amazing man,” the shelter wrote. “Congrats to King and his furever family! We are so happy for him!”
The humane society is in Clearwater, west of Tampa.
This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Construction worker met dog while building at shelter. Then came heartwarming adoption."
