A happy ending for one of Calgary Humane Society’s most patient pooches

Not all stories have a happy ending, but this one sure does.

After almost 500 days with the Calgary Humane Society (CHS), Aster has found her forever family.

The eight-year-old large mixed-breed dog was surrendered in July 2021 after her owner was unable to provide adequate housing.

CHS staff tended to Aster’s medical needs and she spent the majority of the past 16 months with a foster family.

Aster was known as one of CHS’ Patient Paws since she was up for adoption for longer than the average animal.

Answering the call

Earlier this month, a call was put out to find Aster a home, and James Campbell answered.

“I stumbled across her ad… and it honestly just broke my heart that she was sitting there for that long,” Campbell tells Calgary Citizen.

Campbell and his wife, Chantel, lost their 14-year-old dog about a year and a half ago and recently decided it was time to add another pooch to their family.

“We’ve had a very quiet home since, but we were originally planning on getting another puppy,” Campbell says.

That is until he saw Aster’s sweet face. The couple decided to go meet her and quickly fell in love.

“She’s an absolute doll… she’s just such a sweet dog,” Campbell says.

A bright future ahead

Based on what he knows about Aster’s medical history, Campbell says she’s had a tough first few years of her life.

However, he says those days are behind her and that she’s settling in well.

“She’s very, very nervous with people, which just kind of shows you she didn’t come from the greatest background. And for us, it’s just a matter of patience.”

Campbell says he and his wife want to make sure Aster’s future is filled with nothing but love.

Her new parents plan to utilize the Reactive Rover dog training that CHS offers as part of the Patient Paws program.

“We’re going to give it probably another month or two, just so she can really settle into the house. But we do want to give her the best chance possible, so that is something that we’re definitely going to enroll her in,” Campbell says.

A touching story

There has been an outpouring of praise, support, and attention since the news broke of Aster’s adoption.

“We didn’t look at it as we were doing something good. We just looked at it as she needed a home, she needed to be loved, and that was what was important to us,” Campbell says, adding Aster is a blessing.

“She’s just such an amazing dog.”

Campbell is surprised Aster was at CHS for as long as she was, but couldn’t be happier that the timing worked out.

“She has already been so spoiled and we’re going to continue to spoil her,” he says with a laugh.

“She is literally a gentle giant… you can’t help but love her.”

Foster families needed

Being with a foster family before her adoption was a benefit for Aster as she was able to spend the majority of her time out of the shelter and in a home.

CHS is actively recruiting foster parents and families to get as many adoptable animals as possible into homes over the holiday season.

Anyone interested in becoming a foster can fill out an application on the CHS website.