Dogs do not ask us for much. They are selfless animals by nature and they have a lot of love to give. All they ask for in return are the basic necessities. Unfortunately, there are a wide range of dogs that never get the chance to enjoy a forever home, regular meals or even a walk around the block. Pirate the dog was in a similar sort of predicament.

From the looks of it, the dog was never going to have the chance to enjoy true happiness. She’s spent her life living in Hawaii, which sounds awesome enough. Most of us would love to have the chance to reside in such a sunny locale. However, she has been stuck at the Oahu Animal Shelter ever since she was a puppy. The shelter workers adored her and had no idea why she was unable to find a forever home.

The volunteers remained hopeful that she would find help. Visitor after visitor passed her over, though. This is the sad reality for older dogs who find themselves residing in shelters. Pirate did not allow herself to lose hope. She would make the same pleading face every time a new adopter walked through the door. It was not enough for any of them to take her home with them.

Jennifer was different. She began to volunteer at the shelter and developed an immediate connection with all of the dogs. Pirate was her closest friend, though. Jennifer was serving in the United States Navy at the time. She wanted to take home a new dog but her fiance had convinced her to wait. When she asked how long Pirate had been staying at the shelter, no one actually seemed to know.

How depressing. After taking a closer look at the Instagram page that the shelter had created, she realized that the dog had been there for seven years. Jennifer’s bond with Pirate continued to grow. It became harder and harder for her to say goodbye to the dog each day. She knew that she had to do something. Her fiance finally gave in to her requests and the couple took the dog in.

Now, the three of them are all living together as one happy family. We are glad that the fiance was willing to listen to reason. If not for his willingness to take in Pirate, we shudder t to think of what would have happened next. If this story touched your heart as it did ours, please take time to share away!

h/t: Relieved