ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Abilene Animal Shelter is used to sad news, with euthanasia, animal abandonment, and not enough adopters. However, Christmas came a little early this year to bring peace and joy to a dogs journey. One dog, named Prince, was at risk for euthanasia, but because of one Florida family, he has found a place safe from the fear of euthanasia. 

There are many animals in Abilene’s shelter that have sad stories, but there is one dog in particular that has really moved employees, and that dog is Prince. 

“The same owner abandoned him twice,” Foster Coordinator Staci Shults shared. 

The first time, Prince was found by Lindsey Houts, Supervisor for animal control. She found him abandoned by his original owner and brought him to the shelter.

“Prince was left behind in a hotel room off of South 1^st,” Houts recalled. 

The original owner came to the shelter to reclaim Prince, but was found again later, abandoned in an apartment building. He has been at the shelter since. 

“212 days he’s been in our care this last time,” Shults said. 

Shults explained that an animal staying in the shelter this long is extremely rare. Most dogs are put on the euthanasia list after 30 days of being in the shelter and Prince was put on the list three different times, but each time, he found his way off of the list.

He was taken off of the list for different reasons such as an adoption plan not going through, but this last time, he was taken off the list because Houts fought for him. She explained why she felt such a connection to Prince.

“Just the fact that he was left behind and hasn’t been given a true chance at a good family,” Houts expressed.

One Florida man, Brennan Bosworth, saved Prince’s life while stationed at Dyess Air Force Base. 

“So I went in and asked them, if you got any that are at risk or need any additional help, and they were like ‘Prince is the perfect fit for you,’” Bosworth recalled.

He fostered Prince for about five weeks and in that time, fell in love with his personality. However, Bosworth knew with the traveling that he does for work, he would not be able to adopt. 

“I had a week-long trip that I was going to in D.C. last week,” shared Bosworth. 

He was able to relocate Prince into his step-mother’s Abandoned Pet Rescue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

“He is honestly one of the most lovable dogs I have ever met,” Bosworth expressed. 

After five people volunteered to drive a different leg of the trip, Prince made it to the rescue on December 18, where his life is no longer at risk. Now, Prince is looking for his permanent home. 

“He was definitely a group effort. We fell in love with him, and his story was so unique,” said Shults. 

She shared that she hates to see any dog on the euthanasia list, but there are not enough people stopping by to adopt.

“Unfortunately, we do have limited kennels and sometimes we get in more dogs than we have space for. We don’t have the funding or the space,” Shults explained. 

However, she is happy to have been a part of Prince’s story. 

Shultz said fostering can save animals lives and the shelter had over 1,500 animals go into foster homes this year, which in turn saved about 3,000 lives because it opened up room for other animals. 

If you would like to adopt Prince, you can apply by clicking here.