For six years, Cleo has stood patiently behind her booth at countless adoption events, tail wagging, eyes full of hope. Every time she goes home afterward, that hope flickers — but it never disappears.
The kind-hearted dog has greeted hundreds of people, always offering her warm smile and gentle spirit.
Yet somehow, she’s still waiting for the one person who will finally look past her size and her silence, and see her for the extraordinary soul she is.
The Dog Who’s Been Waiting Six Long Years
Cleo lives with her foster mom, Vicky Ham, through Safe Haven Animal Rescue.
Together, they’ve built a quiet rhythm of love and care, but deep down, Ham knows this can’t be the ending. It’s only the middle of Cleo’s story — a story that began during one of Louisiana’s darkest times.
Back in 2016, when a devastating flood swept across Louisiana, rescuers were working around the clock to save animals stranded in the chaos.
Among them was a frightened, tiny puppy with pleading eyes — Cleo.
Ham opened her home to the little survivor, unaware that the puppy she held close was deaf. But even without sound, Cleo quickly learned to understand the world through sight, feeling, and love.
From Floodwaters To Hope
“She taught us that connection doesn’t always need words,” Ham often says.
Cleo watches faces, reads gestures, and understands the warmth of a smile better than most people ever could. A flash of light or a simple hand motion is all it takes to tell her she’s loved.
For a while, Cleo’s future seemed bright. She found not one but two families who promised forever. Both times, forever ended far too soon.
Each return left Ham’s heart heavier, but she refused to let Cleo lose faith. The sweet dog never stopped wagging her tail, never stopped believing that one day, someone would truly stay.
Cleo filled her days with toys, adventures, and joy.
She loves going for car rides, running in the yard, and proudly carrying her favorite toy everywhere she goes — as if it’s a piece of comfort she can always hold onto. Even after years of waiting, her spirit hasn’t dimmed.
A Love Still Waiting To Be Found
Over time, Cleo became a familiar face at adoption fairs — a gentle giant who greeted every visitor with patience and kindness.
She has attended more than thirty events, each one full of new faces, new voices, and new goodbyes.
People often stop, smile, and say the same things: “She’s beautiful.” “She’s so sweet.” “I wish I could take her.” But then they move on, leaving Cleo sitting quietly with her toy between her paws.
At eighty pounds, she may look intimidating to some, but her heart couldn’t be softer. And her deafness, far from being a flaw, gives her a calm confidence that many dogs lack.
She doesn’t flinch at thunderstorms or fireworks — she simply watches the lights, steady and serene, as if she knows the world can’t hurt her anymore.
Ham has tried to protect her heart, too. After so many events, it became painful to keep hoping.
“I stopped bringing her for a while,” she admits softly. “It just hurt to watch people walk by her again and again. But then I thought — maybe her family just hasn’t shown up yet.”
So Cleo still waits, tail wagging, eyes bright, ready to greet whoever might stop long enough to see her for who she truly is.
She isn’t looking for perfection — just someone who understands that love sometimes speaks in silence. That deafness doesn’t make her broken, only unique.
That after everything she’s survived, she deserves to rest her head in a real home at last.
This July Fourth, while the sky bursts into color, Cleo will sit in the yard beside her new family, toy in her mouth, watching the lights dance above her.
After six long years of waiting, her wish finally came true — the soundless nights are over, and she’s finally celebrating her freedom in a forever home filled with love.
