Begging for love ‘Bo’ coped with abandonment and pain, later adopted but dumped back one week later

Bo arrived at the Dan Cosgrove Shelter in early December 2024. He had been abandoned, tied outside somewhere and left to his own devices . He had an embedded collar and was very skinny . The people who found him cleaned the wound, and he ended up with some staining on his fur. He was brought to the shelter hoping he would heal both physically and emotionally and soon find his forever home.

Bo will always have a scar from the embedded collar. When found, he was also diagnosed as heartworm positive. At the shelter, Bo’s life quickly improved. Aimee from Aimee The Groomer came to the shelter and volunteered her time to groom Bo and “get him all handsome looking so he could find a forever home.”

The rescue described the yellow Labrador retriever as two to three years of age who loves people. He had been left alone quite a bit in his past, so of course, he needs some direction. Shortly after he started feeling more comfortable and healthier, he was started on heartworm treatment.

Bo is likely two to three years old and loves to be around people. He needs some direction and guidance. Bo loves to be around people and loves to go hiking and play with toys.

When a dog is ready for the adoption floor and families inquire about them, the rescue spends time explaining the need for training and a dog’s energy levels. Young families often prefer active pets while older people may just want their pet to cuddle with on the couch and take daily walks. Still there are always responsibilities. The rescue encourages interested adopters to spend time with the animals to understand their energy levels, whether it be for long walks, short walks or a lively game of fetch and catch in the backyard.

Multiple visits are encouraged and the need to be a life long companion to the pet they adopt.

we pay for their first training session with the dog trainer – all things we do to ensure a smooth transition. Especially with dogs like Bo – who have already been let down by humans .

And after all that time, energy and visits – Bo was returned after a week of being home …. Why ?

Too much energy .

Did the trainer come in yet ? Nope

And the saddest part of all this? The family walks away, but it’s Bo who suffered. Of course, there are exceptions, but all too often, it’s just humans being selfish.

At one point we believed Bo found his forever family but after a week of being home they said ‘he was too much’ . Dogs need to be walked – yes even in snow, rain etc. Dogs need activities and stimulation and training and time to decompress… 7 days is not long enough .

After Bo was returned , he became depressed but now his depression has become so much worse.

Dogs require work. They need to be fed, walked and trained. Their poop needs to be picked up, they need to be groomed, their nails need to be trimmed, and they need to become special in their owner’s life.

Just look at Bo’s face; it is the face of a dog with a broken heart. This special boy needs a family who will dedicate the time, love and energy he needs. He likes children and dogs, but he’s a no on cats.

Once he is heartworm negative, the rescue organization will pay to have him neutered. He is vaccinated as well.

Bo has been in a kennel for over 90 days, and he’s imploring you to share his story so he can find his forever family .

Please help us … applications can be found at www.branfordanimalshelter.org

If you would be interested in adopting Bo please fill out an application at www.branfordanimalshelter.org.

The Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter is located in Branford Connecticut.

Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.