FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A dog was adopted from a Fort Wayne shelter over the weekend after spending nearly 900 days there.
Humane Fort Wayne celebrated the adoption of Exegol, a 7-year-old Australian cattle dog mix, over the weekend. Exegol had spent 893 days - nearly 2 1/2 years! - at the facility, waiting on a forever home.
It's the longest any animal has stayed at Humane Fort Wayne waiting on an adoption.
During his stay, staff said Exegol worked on building confidence and trust with humans, waiting for "someone that would fall in love with his goofy personality and work patiently to earn his love in return."
"He doesn't like his things touched. His things are his things. His toys, his bed, his crate. His crate is his safe space, so going in and taking him or trying to get him out of there or trying to take anything from him, it does cause a little bit of maybe an aggression," foster and adoptions manager Kris Brandt told WPTA.
Exegol's patience paid off on Saturday, when Joe and Kim Beier picked him up to take him to his new home. Joe told the staff he had his eye on adopting Exegol for at least a year, but the timing was never right to devote the time and attention the dog would need. After three visits, they started the process to take Exegol home.
"There was just something about 'Ex.' Seeing his change, seeing his growth here, we knew he deserved it. That's not to say all dogs don't, but he has grown so much," Brandt said.
Dozens of staff members and volunteers at the shelter stopped by to see Exegol off to his new life.