When Cleto was a puppy, he lived in a home where he knew nothing but abuse and neglect. The poor pup was later rescued and taken to a shelter in Mexico City through West Coast Paws Dog Rescue.

They were hoping he’d find his forever home pretty quickly — unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

A Heartbreaking Reality

For 10 years, Cleto lived at the shelter and was overlooked by potential adopters again and again. His rescuers kept hoping his day would come and weren’t sure how much longer Cleto could wait.

“For a lot of dogs, it’s all they’ve ever known,” Zoë Yoxall, cofounder of West Coast Paws Dog Rescue, shared the story.

“For Cleto, the only home he knew beforehand was abusive, so the shelter was a step up for him. It helped with his socialization skills with other dogs, but it was heartbreaking to think that he never had a true home.”

Despite his difficult past, Cleto greeted everyone with love and enthusiasm, making it even more puzzling why he remained without a family for so long.

“He was often overlooked as he’s a larger dog (almost 50 pounds), and those are deemed less ‘desirable’ to own,” Yoxall explained.

“The pup also has a chunk out of his ear and a scar across his face, which gives him a tough-guy persona. He is extremely approachable, but sometimes looks can deceive people at first greeting.”

In a shelter filled with over 100 dogs, it was challenging for Cleto to stand out, and the odds seemed stacked against him.

A Long-Awaited Homecoming

West Coast Paws Dog Rescue has many dogs with similar stories and limited resources to find them homes.

However, they were determined to help Cleto. After a decade of waiting, Cleto finally found his perfect forever family. “They found out about Cleto on Facebook thanks to a strong network of people sharing, liking, and commenting,” Yoxall shared.

“All it takes is one person to see the right post, and the dog has found [his] forever!”

When the day finally arrived for Cleto to leave the shelter, his excitement was palpable. He charged ahead, eager to embrace his new life. “He seemed quite happy to meet us and really did seem like he’d been waiting for this for a while,” said Dan and Heda, Cleto’s new parents.

After ten long years, Cleto’s wait was over, and it was clear that every moment had been worth it.