Dog adopted after 7 years in Pennsylvania shelter—and a shocking discovery

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A woman in Pennsylvania gave a longtime rescue dog named Ella a new home in what a Bloomsburg shelter called "an extremely special adoption." Saying "you might want to grab a tissue real quick for this one," the Animal Resource Center posted on social media.

Ella had been at the shelter for the last seven years, making her the adoption center's longest resident. Recently, a woman identified only as Kaitlyn emailed the adoption center about her interest in adopting Ella. She told the center that her own dog, Jo, had died a few months before, and that she was ready for another dog.

According to the center, when Ella saw Kaitlyn, the staff knew Ella had found her "person." Ella, who had a history of fear and aggression, usually needed multiple visits for her to get comfortable with strangers. That was not the case with Kaitlyn. "She immediately walked over to Kaitlyn with no hesitation, allowing her to give Ella scratches and pets right away," the center said.

At the end of the showing, the staff noticed Kaitlyn getting emotional as she looked at the bandana Ella was wearing around her neck. "This bandana that Ella is wearing, it’s Jo’s. I donated them all here when he passed," Kaitlyn said, showing a picture of her dog wearing it in the good old days.

The center said the realization caused tears to fill the eyes of staff members as well: "Out of the 20 dogs in our shelter right now, this bandana. This specific bandana. Jo’s bandana. It was on Ella."

Indicating that it was meant to be, Kaitlyn told the center, “I like to think of it as Jo’s stamp of approval." After seven years and this emotional visit, Ella finally got adopted.

"Every morning, Ella use to pop up off her bed and greet you at the door of her kennel right away," said the Animal Resource Center. "We’ll miss that tomorrow, it’ll be such a bittersweet moment realizing that as we pause to reflect on a few of our favorites times with Ella -- but my goodness the amount of pure happiness we will feel everyday knowing Ella finally got what she deserved."