In the time that I have spent writing about rescue dogs, the most common theme is that people seem to ignore older dogs in favor of younger ones.

And, this makes sense to some degree, of course. I can’t really blame people for wanting to adopt a puppy, but that doesn’t change the fact that older dogs also deserve love and a family who will take care of them.

People need to be less reserved about their options at the shelter and adopt more senior dogs. In this story, we will talk about a dog who was at the shelter for a long time, but no one wanted to adopt him.

The Sweetest Rescue Dog

There were many instances where Barney was hoping that someone would come and ask for him at the Darlington County Humane Society, in South Carolina, but that never happened.

In the time that he had been in the shelter, no one seemed interested in taking him to his forever home.

Whenever someone would come to adopt another dog, the staff would give him hugs and kisses to help him deal with the disappointment.

However, it was not enough to tear down his spirit. Despite all of this, he remained a very happy dog throughout his entire journey in the shelter.

Wendy Ransome told The Dodo: He enjoys playing with other dogs, definitely, but Barney most enjoys time with a person. Barney is a happy, friendly and affectionate boy.

She also believes that a lot of potential adopters are scared of him because of how big Barney is, despite not knowing how happy and playful he really is.

She continued by saying that he is just the friendliest dog in the shelter and he loves playing with anyone.

A New Chance For Barney

In a Facebook post, the shelter staff said:

He longs for attention. When you visit his kennel, he whines begging you to take him out. 

He will press himself as close as he can against the gate so you can reach in and love every part of him possible. If you sit with him, he’s delighted. If you take him out to play, he’s over the moon.

Despite the many disappointments during the time he spent in the shelter, Barney remained optimistic. 

In February of this year, Barney was still in the shelter, so his best friend, Lincoln, urged people to adopt him.

To help increase his chances of adoption, the rescue partners at Paws Around The Pee Dee, in South Carolina, took Barney in, and he will wait for his chance there.

While it’s unclear if he was finally adopted, one thing is for certain – Barney is a cheerful dog who has a lot of love to give and deserves all the best in life.