Elle a 'perfect addition' at new forever home after 1,000-plus days in Texas shelter

After spending more than 1,000 days at an animal shelter in Texas, a six-year-old boxer mix finally found a loving home and was given a grand farewell as she bid goodbye to the shelter which has been her home for more than three years.

Elle, six-year-old boxer mix, arrived at Austin Pets Alive! in December 2021, from a local city shelter as a behavior support case. Before coming to the shelter, the young pup had been at one foster home as well as multiple "sleepovers," which mostly ended up in a return in just a few hours "primarily due to transitional stress," Kaitlan Warmbrod, Dog Behavior Training Supervisor at APA!, told USA TODAY this week.

"When I first met her almost 4 years ago, she had just gotten back from a recent return," Warmbrod said. "Being in a new place caused her to be a little extra stressful so she would kind of be pacing and have a little extra energy. She was returned a few times for that."

Warmbrod said when Elle came, her main behaviors were pulling and barking towards other dogs and people while on a leash and exhibiting mixed signals during medical handling.

"Unfortunately, the stress of living in a shelter with limited outlets exacerbated those behaviors and she missed out on a lot of practice meeting people. Because she didn’t get a lot of practice meeting people, when she was given the chance, she’d often get over excited and parkour off people or would put herself in uncomfortable situations because she wanted to interact with the person, but wasn’t completely comfortable physically interacting with them," Warmbrod explained.

"This made a lot of people more hesitant to interact or hangout with her and it created a cycle of limited outlets and increased behaviors," Warmbrod said.

'We just clicked'

Warmbrod first met Elle in an office space instead of a kennel and despite being advised to not touch the dog, Warmbrod said she just did her job and played with Elle for a little bit and gave her some treats.

Just as she was about to leave, Elle started to whine a little bit, piquing her concern.

"I got a little concerned that she was hurt or something, so I sat down with her, and then she just kind of came and crawled into my lap and was asking for cuddles," Warmbrod said. "We just clicked in that moment (and) after that, I was pretty invested with her."

Over the next three and a half years, Warmbrod worked closely with Elle, working on her behaviors and helping her feel more comfortable interacting with people. Warmbrod said Elle needed time to "warm up to people" and is not "comfortable if somebody just approaches and starts interacting with her."

"She needs those slower introductions," Elle said.

At the same time, Warmbrod said, Elle would sometimes also get overexcited and start "running around like crazy" or jumping around "which can be a little overwhelming," so Warmbrod worked on helping her calm down in those situations.

Elle also needed training on being around other dogs and Warmbrod worked with her on that as well. Warmbrod said Elle would be a "goofy girl" around dogs, so she was kept and trained separately until she was able to manage herself around them. This behavior also posed a roadblock in her foster and adoption in those homes which already had multiple dogs.

Now, however, Elle is comfortable around other dogs and while she still needs improvement on her leash skills, she does great waiting for people and other dogs to pass from 15-20 feet away. Any closer can still be a bit daunting for her.

Finding a loving home

Despite all the work Warmbrod and shelter staff put into Elle, it still took a while for her to find a loving home.

"I think primarily because she's a bigger dog," Warmbrod said. "Sometimes her looks can be a little intimidating, so I think that was a big reason she didn't get a lot of inquiries or interest in homes."

Elle's new foster recognized her needs

Luck shone on Elle, when her foster, John, saw her on social media and specifically requested to meet her after he saw she was one of APA!’s longest-stay dogs. John previously owned a dog who had some fear-based behaviors and was familiar with what it took to care for such animals.

"John definitely recognized that she needs more time to warm up to people and he was definitely willing to do however many relationship sessions that we need, which was really awesome," Warmbrod said.

APA! said John was patient and understanding and took things slowly, proactively working with the animal shelter staff to help Elle open up at her own pace.

Farewell party

When the time came for Elle to bid goodbye to APA!, shelter staff and volunteers put together a going away party for her during which Elle was treated to a pupcake and lots of cuddles. Kaitlan she said was left teary-eyed when another staff member sent her a video of Elle seeing John and hopping with excitement.

"She's honestly just a great and a perfect dog," Warmbrod said.

Elle has been settling well into her new home and has bonded beautifully with John, Warmbrod said, adding the dog hangs out with her new dad all day, cuddling with him on the couch ad sitting next to him as he works.

While John initially took in Elle as a foster to see how she would do in his home and whether she'd fit in, Warmbrod shared that John is now looking into adopting Elle.

"He (John) thinks it's safe to go ahead and move onto that foster to adoption," Warmbrod shared. "Because he feels like she's home and has been a perfect addition to his family."

Kaitlan hopes more people will give shelter dogs a chance.

“It takes people just being able to give them a bit of a chance and understanding the complexities," she said. “Being patient about transitional stress, and not just automatically assuming that all of these pups can do all the things. Giving them time and going at their own pace. Don't be imitated by the looks.”

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dog a 'perfect addition' at new home after 1,000 days in Texas shelter