Staffordshire bull terrier up for adoption after 4 years in shelter

Credit: Dan Kitwood

Credit: Dan Kitwood

A purebred Staffordshire bull terrier has been waiting in a Paris, Maine, animal shelter four years after she came in as a stray.

WABC reported that the dog, named Ginger by Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, was pictured on the shelter's Facebook page with a sign that read, "I have been in the shelter for 1,456 days. Please adopt me."

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"Yes, you've read that right. Ginger has been here 1,456 days. She was brought to us as a stray in 2014. She needs the perfect home, not just any home," the Oct. 18 post read. "She is an amazing dog, and all the staff here at Responsible Pet Care love her deeply, but she needs a HOME!!! Ginger would like to be the only princess ( because, well, that's what she is) she does have some issues with resource guarding, so no small children."

Although the shelter has been flooded with applications since the original Oct. 18 post, the shelter said in an Oct. 23 Facebook post that Ginger is still up for adoption.

“Thank you everyone for all the shares on our girl, Ginger,” the shelter said in the post. “She has made national news!! As of now she is still available for adoption. We have had so many inquiries!!!”

According to Kelsey Cronin, the dog's name was originally Sammy. In a comment on the shelter's Tuesday Oct. 23 post, Cronin claims the dog belonged to her brother and father, but when her brother went to California as part of the military and her father moved to Hawaii, they gave the dog to a couple.

“(My dad) ended up going with a couple who wanted to take Sammy and train her as an emotional therapy dog of some sort,”  Cronin said. “My dad tried calling them for months after giving Sammy to them, but they never responded. I would have loved to take her in at the time, but I was living in a condo that didn't allow dogs. And I now have a 2 year old dachshund/pitbull mix and a 1 year old cat. My brother is still in California, and has a baby on the way. And my dad is still in Hawaii.

“I am completely heartbroken, we really thought Sammy was going to be in good hands, and the thought of her sleeping alone in a shelter every night kills me.”

Cronin said she would be contacting the shelter first thing in the morning and thanked the shelter for “loving Sammy all this time.”

In response to Cronin's comment, which included photos that appeared to be of the same dog as a puppy, the shelter said on Wednesday, "We had no idea who she was when she arrived as a stray so her name is Ginger now. But we are thrilled to get to know her past to help better determine the perfect place for her."

Those interested in adopting Ginger must have references, fill out an application and submit to a home check. Potential adopters must not have any other pets or children.

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