Pirate is a sweet pup who wanted the same thing every dog wants: a cozy place to call home and a human who loved them. But for seven years, the poor dog was passed over by everyone who came to the Oahu Animal Shelter.
Then, in 2017, a US Army Servicewoman named Jennifer Hoyt was stationed in Honolulu. Jennifer is an animal lover, and she wanted to adopt a dog. But her fiancé, army serviceman Dennis Shaffer, asked her to wait until he moved to Hawaii a few months later so they could pick out the dog together.
While Jennifer waited, she decided to get her dog fix by volunteering at the Oahu Animal Shelter.
On her first day at the shelter, Jennifer noticed Pirate. The pup was older than most of the other dogs and had a sad look on her face. Jennifer was immediately drawn to Pirate and started wondering about her story.
Jennifer looked through Oahu Animal Shelter’s Instagram page and learned that poor Pirate had been in the shelter for seven years. Just like that, Jennifer knew she had to give this dog a forever home.
Jennifer tearfully called Dennis and explained the situation. He said that she should meet the dog.
The next day, Jennifer spent time with Pirate in her kennel. Jennifer’s heart broke when she saw how sad the dog was.
“She didn’t look at me; she didn’t look at anything,” Jennifer told I Heart Dogs. “She was emotionally detached. That broke my heart.”
Jennifer bought Pirate new toys and a new bed, and the dog gratefully curled up on the bed. Slowly but surely, the dog began warming up to Jennifer. After hearing her story, Dennis said that Jennifer should adopt Pirate—he could tell that he would love her too.
On July 13, 2017, Jennifer officially adopted the senior pup. She renamed her Pirate Marie!
Over the next month, Jennifer and Pirate bonded more and more. When Dennis arrived a month later, Pirate was a bit wary of him. But over time, Dennis won her over, and soon Pirate was just as bonded with Dennis!
Pirate has now been with Jennifer and Dennis for about two years, and she’s as happy as can be. She loves hanging out with her parents, and she’s also a big fan of going on long walks with them.
Jennifer shares all of Pirate’s adventures on her Instagram page. The page has over 30,000 followers who all enjoy seeing what Pirates gets up to in her daily life.
Now that Pirate has such a good home, Jennifer has turned her attention to helping other pups at the Oahu SPCA find forever homes. She shared a GoFundMe page for a senior pup named Brad who was in and out of the shelter for seven years. A woman from Michigan visited the shelter and fell in love with him, but she needed help funding his transportation. With Jennifer—and Pirate’s—help, the campaign was successful and Brad is now in his forever home!
Pirate Marie is a sweet senior dog who has wonderful parents who love her more than anything. If you want to learn more about Pirate, check out her Instagram page.
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