After being discovered tied to a fence at an abandoned home, Toro was brought to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in October of last year. His rescuers surmised that he had likely spent his whole life outside and anticipated that it could take him some time to adjust to his new surroundings.
According to Melissa Fogarty, kennel and placement supervisor at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter, “When he first got in, he was quite fearful and shut down.” He is now more at ease among familiar faces, although he is still a little uneasy in the shelter environment.
Despite his fears, it was clear that Toro had a lot of love to give — and before long, he showed his rescuers exactly how much by starting to give them hugs.
“I was probably one of the first people to take him out for an actual socialized walk when he came in,” Fogarty said. “The hugging happened probably within 15 minutes of having him out loose in our side play yard.
He just kind of crawled up to me, climbed on my lap, and pressed himself against my chest … from there it grew and now he hugs all his friends here.”
Toro is very thankful to be in a place where he is secure and loved, and he constantly serves as a reminder to everyone of this, despite the fact that the shelter still gives him a little anxiety.
Every time he exits the kennel, Fogarty said, “his first instinct is to embrace the person walking him, and basically everyone he comes in contact with.”
Toro was adopted in January, but was unfortunately returned after a week and a half because it wasn’t a good fit. He’s still looking for the perfect forever home, where he can give hugs to his family every day to show them how much he loves them.
Toro is searching for an adult-only residence with a family that can continue to provide him with structure and guidance. He’ll need to learn the fundamentals of housekeeping, be educated to utilize a crate, and function best as the sole pet in his new residence.
After nearly a year of waiting, Toro is more than ready to meet his ideal partner, and his rescuers are baffled as to why a dog that loves cuddles and is so lovable hasn’t been picked yet.
“I honestly think he hasn’t been adopted because he’s a middle-aged pit mix living in a high-intake municipal shelter,” Fogarty said. “He gets lost in this sea of dogs that don’t show well in their kennels.”
Toro has so much love — and so many hugs — to give, and hopefully his forever family will find him very soon.
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