Heartwarming freedom walks (Video)

With all the sad news stories taking up our feeds, this is exactly what we want to see so close to the holidays. Bonita, a pit bull mix, spent over 500 days at the Niagara SPCA in New York. She was the shelter’s longest resident, but all that waiting has paid off. She just met her perfect person and received the best Christmas gift a rescue dog could ever get—a home! As a large breed dog, Bonita was was one of the shelter’s harder dogs to get adopted. She needed to go to a home with no small children or other dogs. She wants her people all to herself, and those requirements were tough to match.

For almost two years, potential adopters walked right past her kennel. Bonita watched all the other dogs find forever homes, but it never seemed to be her turn. Then one day, the exact right person walked into the shelter. He instantly fell in love with Bonita, and he knew it was meant to be. After talking about all of Bonita’s specific needs, the man decided he could give her the perfect home. He made the adoption official, and the entire shelter was overjoyed to see one of their favorite dogs finally get exactly what she deserved. Kimberly LaRussa, event coordinator at the Niagara SPCA, said Bonita would be dearly missed. “Everybody loves her so much, and a lot of our employees are used to seeing her every day, so I know we are all going to miss her like crazy,” LaRussa said.

The entire shelter was overjoyed

The shelter shared video showing Bonita getting a loving sendoff by her former family members at the shelter. Bonita left the shelter for the last time with all her friends lined up to say goodbye. They threw confetti and cheered her name while the ecstatic pup jumped with joy. Her tail never stopped wagging as she eagerly followed her new dad into her new life. Bonita’s story is a perfect example of how important no-kill animal shelters are. Bonita is a good dog who has had a rough past. Humans failed her in the past, and without Niagara SPCA, her future could have been much different. They gave her a temporary home while she waited for this one special day. Watch the video of Bonita’s freedom walk out of the shelter.