Remus came to SDF in 2018 as a one-year-old pup. He was smart, funny, and highly trainable—but because he was fearful of new people and wary of other dogs, he wasn’t a good fit for search training. Our team began exploring other avenues that would better suit his temperament, including alternative careers. However, after spending more time getting to know Remus and his many quirks, it became clear that he would not thrive as a working dog. Instead, what he really needed was a family of his own who would understand his unique needs and love him for who he is.
Although most of our Lifetime Care dogs find families within a few months, we knew Remus was special, so it might take a little longer to find his perfect match. Determined to give Remus his ideal, happy life, the search for a family home began.
Remus initially drew plenty of interest from adopters, which led to meet-and-greets with several potential families. A few times, Remus was even adopted. However, despite careful vetting, supervised meetings, and training sessions with adopters at our campus and their homes, those initial placements didn’t stick.
We make a promise to all the dogs who enter our program: no matter what life throws at them, we have their backs. They can keep “coming home” to SDF as many times as it takes, and we won’t give up looking until their perfect match is found. So, each time Remus was returned to SDF, we welcomed him back with open arms and renewed our efforts to find the wonderful, love-filled life we knew was out there for him.
At our National Training Center, Remus spent his days learning and practicing skills with our canine training team, going on hikes and enjoying enrichment activities, and relaxing with his favorite staff members in their offices. We loved having our quirky, playful boy around, but while we did our best to give him the best life possible on campus, we knew that his best opportunity to truly thrive would be in a stable, caring home.
After years of searching for Remus’ perfect match with little success, we decided to call on our social media followers to help spread the word in hopes that the right person would see his posts. Our incredible community answered our call and shared Remus’ story far and wide.
Then, it happened—adoption applications started coming in, and before long, Remus had new meet-and-greets set up with prospective adopters! Just a few weeks after that, Remus was finally headed home for good.
Remus’ adopter sent us a message on his first day home to let us know that he was settling in well and to express her affection for the newest member of her family, saying, “He truly is a wonderful dog, thank you for taking care of him for me all this time ❤️“
It’s now been over a year since Remus found his forever home, and he’s doing better than ever! Thanks to regular updates from his forever human, we have the joy of seeing Remus live his best life, from peaceful naps in the backyard to modeling his ever-growing wardrobe. Our hearts are so full knowing that Remus has finally found his perfect place in the world, and we look forward to following along with all of his adventures to come!
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