Animal Shelter in Florida Lauded for Helping Owner Reunite With Her Deaf Dog for Free

(Courtesy of Jessica Jade)

An animal shelter in Florida is being praised for its generous act of helping reunite a deaf pit bull with its owner, free of charge.

In early September, Glock, a 2-year-old dog, was found tied to a fence at the Santa Rosa County Animal Services. Upon witnessing this sight, Jessica Jade, the operations manager of the shelter, and the staff concluded that the dog was a “stray” that was found by someone who left him there as the shelter was closed.

"Our cameras weren’t working so we had no proof who dropped him off,” Jade told Inside Edition Digital.

(Courtesy of Jessica Jade)

However, that was far from reality, as Glock was a dog that was deeply loved and had an owner, named Rory Chapman, who was doing her best to search for him. Despite living in “unsafe” and “unsuitable” conditions, she would go across the street to make use of her neighbor's phone to check for lost pets listings on the shelter’s website, according to a GoFundMe page.

Jade believes that it was Chapman’s landlord who stole the poor dog and brought it to the shelter as a “stray.”

Finding Chapman was not an easy task for the shelter, as although Glock had a microchip attached to him, the details in it directed them to the previous owner.

“When we reached out to Glock’s previous owner he knew who she was and was able to get in touch with him,” Jade told Inside Edition.

Luckily, after all the efforts, Glock was able to reunite with his loving owner two weeks after arriving at the shelter.

In a Facebook post from Sept. 22, Jade recalls the emotional reunion.

(Courtesy of Jessica Jade)

“Today a woman walks in the door holding some vet records; she is crying as she walks in,” Jade wrote. “‘Can I please have my dog? I don’t have any money to get him out’. When I ask who her dog is, she continues to cry and beg, telling me she can’t afford to get him out. I tell her, “it’s okay, we got you. You’re getting your dog back.”

After processing some paperwork, the shelter staff got Glock to meet Chapman without charging any “redemption fees.” Needless to say, the two were really happy to be reunited with each other after a few days of separation.

“He was jumping and prancing he was so happy to see her, and she was crying and hugging him,” Jade wrote. “Their love and bond are deep.”

Additionally, the shelter also provided Chapman with some dog food and neuter vouchers. Upon learning that Jade had some more kittens that she was looking after, the shelter went above and beyond to give vouchers for those who needed to be spayed and neutered too.

According to Jade, usually, animals at their shelter are placed for adoption within three days if the owner doesn't show up; however, it seems in Glock’s case, he wasn't supposed to go to another home but return to where he truly belonged.

“Glock wasn’t a dog who needed rescue; he was a dog who needed to go back to the loving home he already had,” Jade wrote on the Facebook post. This was possible due to Santa Rosa County Animal Services’ flexible redemption fees and policy.

Unsurprisingly, Jade’s post of this touching reunion went viral amassing over 15,000 reactions and some 11,000 shares. Some netizens even took a moment to express their gratitude to the shelter for going out of their way to make this reunion possible.

A week after this sweet reunion, Jade visited Chapman’s house with some treats, toys, and dog food, and was “heartbroken” on learning more about her situation, as although “she had a roof over her head, it is in disrepair, without electricity or a kitchen sink,” Jade explained. Thus, in order to help her get back on her feet, Jade organized a GoFundMe page as a way to find Chapman “safe” and “secure” housing.

To date, the GoFundMe page has managed to raise over US$3,000. On Oct. 25, Chapman posted an update expressing her gratitude to all those who had donated.

“I can't begin to explain how truly humbling this experience has been for me. I am steadily [sic] searching for a safe place from myself and my fur babies to live and for transportation for us,” Chapman wrote. “Thank you so much for giving me hope and light at the end of the tunnel.”

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