Sadly, not all adopted dogs find a forever home. Last September, a family with four kids adopted a 3-year-old brindle boxer mix, called Rhino Lighting (Rhino for short). He lived with the family for a few months, but they took him back to the shelter because they felt that he was a little too active to live with their small children. However, to make Rhino’s next transition easier, one little girl had filled a notebook with a set of instructions and other important information, and it shows how precious their bond actually was.
“Hi, if you are reading this, you must own Rhino now,” the girl started. “He was my puppy. I really hope he is in a good environment. I really miss him. I wish he knew that he was a pretty puppy.”
She then explains how to take care of Rhino. For example, the girl talks about taking him out for a run two or three times each day, bathe him once a month, and, of course, give him lots of love. “Rhino is a good dog and he loves cuddles. Just don’t tease him with treats — he will start to bark like crazy, then you have to just try and calm him.”
While it’s sad that Rhino was taken away from this girl who loved him so much, he only had to spend a weekend inside the shelter. Another family adopted him, and they even took the notebook! “They’re going to keep his name Rhino Lightning,” Deann Shepherd, director of marketing and communications for the Humane Society of Utah, told The Dodo. “They’re going to make sure they give him a bath and daily runs and everything that she said. It’s really cute.”
More info: Facebook (h/t: dodo)
Meet Rhino, a 3-year-old brindle boxer mix who had to go back to the shelter because he was too active for his new family
He arrived at the Humane Society of Utah with a notebook full of instructions and notes, from a girl who loved him with all her heart
“Hi, if you are reading this, you must own Rhino now. He was my puppy. I really hope he is in a good environment. I really miss him. I wish he knew that he was a pretty puppy.”
“Rhino is a really intelligent puppy. He is a very amazing puppy. Rhino needs lots of attention. He loves people.”
“Rhino is a good dog and he loves cuddles. Just don’t tease him with treats — he will start to bark like crazy, then you have to just try and calm him.”
“Rhino is a striped dream,” she continued.” His cheeks make a lot of slobber. Please tell Rhino that I love and miss him every night.”
“His full name is Rhino Lightning, then your last name. Please don’t rename him.”
“He likes sleeping under blankets. Rhino also hates kennels. Sometimes he gets really happy and runs around you.”
She tried really hard to express herself, but some pages were a bit hard to understand
Rhino was lucky enough to be adopted a second time, only a few days after coming back to the shelter
His new owners took the notebook with them and promised to try to follow all the instructions. They even kept his name!
It took only a couple of months before Rhino developed a bond with the girl that will last a lifetime
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I don't want to dismiss/condemn the parents. With 4 kids, chances are they were never quite prepared for the time investment. The poor kid probably cried her eyes out and bravely bucked out and wrote the notebook. Hang on to that fighting spirit and she shall go far in this life. <3 to her and to the dog's new owners
As a 13 old girl who had a choice to put down my cat cause she was in a lot of pain I cry my eyes out every night but at least i had achoice
it's horrible that people get a dog and give it away because it's 'too active' people like that shouldn't be allowed to adopt one. But the little girl will surely grow into a dog-loving woman someday 😁
Wait a minute: everybody is allowed to make a mistake, and not to realize that they could not handle a too active dog. Who knows: maybe they had only known less active dogs before, or had unexpected financial or organizational trouble. When they realized it, they did the right thing by giving it back so that it could be taken care of properly by somebody who could.
no, with living beings you don't make mistakes like that. You wouldn't give a toddler away because it started to be too much of a hassle to raise it either, would you? I do. admit there can be exceptional cirvumstances where you'd have to give your beloved dog away e.g. sickness or having to take on two jobs. finances: yes a dog is expensive and everybody needs to be aware of potential costs but even if you'd ask a homeless person with a dog they would rather do anything else but give away their companion... - they didn't state that as a reason anyway. But simply that it was too active. So no. You are not allowed to make a mistake like that in my eyes. But yes: definitely better a shelter than the street! And for the girl it must have been heartbreaking obviously..
We dont know the reasons, and there are even parents that give their child away - just sayin' - even if I'm thinking that I could never give back an animal, it seems that the dog was loved, at least from the girl. So I think it would be heartbreakinc too if you tell the girl that she never could get a dog again (or just when shes grown up) just because there where reasons for the parents. - i think it is like adopting a child that just doesn't fit in the family. Maybe its bad for the child, but would it really be better for it to stay in the family when the family just can't give him the love it deserves? And does this make the family a bad family because they decide this way? Even if the child is your "real" own, if there are reasons why you can't give the child the love and all the other stuff it deserves and need, what then?
The mistake lies with the shelter giving a boxer to a family with four children, some of them very small. Boxers can be wonderful clowns but they have a ton of power, strength and energy and some of them are VERY active. Still, there is a four year old girl, now, that has learned the pain of serious loss at a very early age. :-/
I'm just glad that when they realised they were having problems they took him back to the rescue they got him from. Too many people adopt a dog & then just dump it. They did the right thing. A high energy dog with four small kids would be a nightmare, just finding time to walk him an hour a day would be difficult, both Rhino & his family would have been unhappy.. The little girl that wrote the note understand real love sometimes you have to love something or someone enough to let them go so they can be happier. It sucks but an energetic boxer needs some teenagers or someone that jogs every day, not a busy family with 4 young kids.
I'm really thankful for the family who adopted him the second time. This just shows that it's a great idea to do research before you invest in a dog. It'll benefit both you and your pet a lot.
I don't want to dismiss/condemn the parents. With 4 kids, chances are they were never quite prepared for the time investment. The poor kid probably cried her eyes out and bravely bucked out and wrote the notebook. Hang on to that fighting spirit and she shall go far in this life. <3 to her and to the dog's new owners
As a 13 old girl who had a choice to put down my cat cause she was in a lot of pain I cry my eyes out every night but at least i had achoice
it's horrible that people get a dog and give it away because it's 'too active' people like that shouldn't be allowed to adopt one. But the little girl will surely grow into a dog-loving woman someday 😁
Wait a minute: everybody is allowed to make a mistake, and not to realize that they could not handle a too active dog. Who knows: maybe they had only known less active dogs before, or had unexpected financial or organizational trouble. When they realized it, they did the right thing by giving it back so that it could be taken care of properly by somebody who could.
no, with living beings you don't make mistakes like that. You wouldn't give a toddler away because it started to be too much of a hassle to raise it either, would you? I do. admit there can be exceptional cirvumstances where you'd have to give your beloved dog away e.g. sickness or having to take on two jobs. finances: yes a dog is expensive and everybody needs to be aware of potential costs but even if you'd ask a homeless person with a dog they would rather do anything else but give away their companion... - they didn't state that as a reason anyway. But simply that it was too active. So no. You are not allowed to make a mistake like that in my eyes. But yes: definitely better a shelter than the street! And for the girl it must have been heartbreaking obviously..
We dont know the reasons, and there are even parents that give their child away - just sayin' - even if I'm thinking that I could never give back an animal, it seems that the dog was loved, at least from the girl. So I think it would be heartbreakinc too if you tell the girl that she never could get a dog again (or just when shes grown up) just because there where reasons for the parents. - i think it is like adopting a child that just doesn't fit in the family. Maybe its bad for the child, but would it really be better for it to stay in the family when the family just can't give him the love it deserves? And does this make the family a bad family because they decide this way? Even if the child is your "real" own, if there are reasons why you can't give the child the love and all the other stuff it deserves and need, what then?
The mistake lies with the shelter giving a boxer to a family with four children, some of them very small. Boxers can be wonderful clowns but they have a ton of power, strength and energy and some of them are VERY active. Still, there is a four year old girl, now, that has learned the pain of serious loss at a very early age. :-/
I'm just glad that when they realised they were having problems they took him back to the rescue they got him from. Too many people adopt a dog & then just dump it. They did the right thing. A high energy dog with four small kids would be a nightmare, just finding time to walk him an hour a day would be difficult, both Rhino & his family would have been unhappy.. The little girl that wrote the note understand real love sometimes you have to love something or someone enough to let them go so they can be happier. It sucks but an energetic boxer needs some teenagers or someone that jogs every day, not a busy family with 4 young kids.
I'm really thankful for the family who adopted him the second time. This just shows that it's a great idea to do research before you invest in a dog. It'll benefit both you and your pet a lot.