A one-eyed dog left unwanted at an animal shelter has finally found a loving family to take her in.
Six-year-old Mia was abandoned at a Long Island Animal shelter with scars and a missing eye – signs she may have been abused and used for breeding.
The Australian Cattledog and American Staffordshire Terrier cross spent a lot of time in the shelter as many people passed up ‘ugly’ Mia due to her scars in favour of other pups.
But then Mia met Moira Horan, from Broad Channel, New York, and it was love at first sight.
Shelter staff were delighted that someone was finally taking Mia and happily released her into Moira’s care with no adoption fees to be paid.
‘I went alone to a shelter on Long Island,’ saysMoira, who works as a nanny.
‘I went to this shelter with the intention of adopting a puppy. I looked at the ones they had and none of them were really calling me.
‘I kept walking down the aisle and saw this little girl with the biggest ears and prettiest face that happened to be missing an eye.’
Now the lonely dog that nobody wanted has a forever home with a caring owner.
‘She was the only dog wearing a red collar, and red is my favorite colour,’ says Moira. ‘She didn’t bark at me. She just looked up at me and I fell in love.
‘I looked at the info posted on her enclosure and saw her name was Mia, which is every other letter of my name and I just knew I needed to take her home.
‘I got the first person I saw and they took her out for me so I could get to know her. She was so happy to get out and had so much energy.’
Moira was touched by how the staff reacted when they realised that this special pup had finally been adopted.
‘As we were walking out, one of the volunteers said, “you’re finally going home, Mama Mia”,’ Moira recalls. ‘She had been there a long time.’3
Moira says the best thing about Mia is the unconditional love she gives you.
‘Having someone who is always excited to see you, and the happiness she has added to my life,’ she adds.
‘In some of my worst times, she gives me a reason to keep going. And she’s just so easy to love.’
Moira took the time to address some of the challenges of caring for an animal with special needs.
‘Mia does require some patience at times but she deserves it,’ she says. ‘She’s not very trusting of new people. She definitely takes her time warming up.