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The Adoption Desk

Adoption

Who is still waiting, why they're waiting, and the shelters figuring out how to change it.

Two Strays Slept On Her Rental Porch For Four Nights — It Took Nine Months To Get Them Both Home
Adoption

Two Strays Slept On Her Rental Porch For Four Nights — It Took Nine Months To Get Them Both Home

She was in New Orleans for a concert. She left with a phone number for a shelter and a habit of calling it every single day.

Jamie OkaforAug 10, 20265 min read
She Waited 411 Days In A Shelter — At Eleven, Nobody Asked To Meet Her Until Now
Adoption

She Waited 411 Days In A Shelter — At Eleven, Nobody Asked To Meet Her Until Now

Her kennel card said everything an adopter needed to know, which staff eventually realised was exactly the problem.

Jamie OkaforAug 9, 2026
A German Shepherd Named Sue Is Waiting In Los Angeles — And Her Breed Is Part Of The Problem
Adoption

A German Shepherd Named Sue Is Waiting In Los Angeles — And Her Breed Is Part Of The Problem

Sue is friendly, sound and photographs beautifully. She is also a large adult shepherd in a city full of them, which is the whole difficulty.

Jamie OkaforAug 7, 2026
Three Dogs At A Manhattan Rescue, And The Specific Reason Each One Is Still There
Adoption

Three Dogs At A Manhattan Rescue, And The Specific Reason Each One Is Still There

One is paralysed, one is overwhelmed by the city, and one has been waiting three years for reasons that disappear the moment she's off the kennel floor.

Jamie OkaforAug 6, 2026

More Adoption stories

A Dachshund Who Lost The Use Of His Back Legs Got Wheels — And A Family In Six Days
Adoption

A Dachshund Who Lost The Use Of His Back Legs Got Wheels — And A Family In Six Days

Special-needs listings sit for months. This one was gone in under a week, and the shelter thinks it knows why.

Jamie OkaforAug 2, 20265 min
This Shelter Emptied Every Kennel In One Weekend — Then Went Back And Studied How
Adoption

This Shelter Emptied Every Kennel In One Weekend — Then Went Back And Studied How

Forty-one dogs out in three days. Staff say the fee waiver was the least important part of it.

Sofia LindqvistJul 29, 20265 min
'Foster Fail' Is Not A Failure — Meet The Volunteers Who Keep The First One
Adoption

'Foster Fail' Is Not A Failure — Meet The Volunteers Who Keep The First One

The joke is affectionate and slightly misleading. Coordinators say the people who keep one usually go on to foster dozens more.

Jamie OkaforJul 23, 20265 min
What Actually Happens At An Adoption Event — A Walkthrough Of One Saturday
Adoption

What Actually Happens At An Adoption Event — A Walkthrough Of One Saturday

Nine dogs, four hours, a folding table, and a set of questions that are not designed to catch you out.

Jamie OkaforJul 17, 20265 min

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