Adventurous pup’s 7-year wait for right home ends in Ohio. ‘Only took 2,498 days’
A dog has finally found a permanent home after a long wait in Ohio.
Meet Nitro, a pup who has waited his entire life to find his happily ever after with a family who won’t let him down or abandon him … after seven long years.
“What can we say about Nitro… why is he still here all this time …” a staff member with Healthy Hearts and Paws Project in Youngstown said in an August 2024 Facebook post, when he was 6 years old at the time.
“He is a handsome, athletic looking boy … weighing in at about 90 pounds of pure amazingness. He is neutered and he has been in many play groups through the years.”
He was living with a family before, but was brought back almost a year later.
“He did get adopted out for about 11 months where he did live with a 5-year-old child and a cat. He was just super curious of the cat, not aggressive, so they returned him,” the staff member said.
Jason Cooke, owner of Healthy Hearts, announced that Nitro finally found the family he was meant to be a part of.
“Only took 2,498 days, but Nitro finally found a home today,” Cooke said in a July 13 Facebook post along with Nitro with his new dog siblings and a video.
Why it took so long for someone to welcome him will remain a mystery to the shelter since he has an exciting history.
“He also tried to be a search and rescue dog for Poland Township,” the shelter said in the 2024 post. “He did very well and passed all testing except he was hesitant/scared of the dark. Which is necessary for that role as they are often in vacant buildings with no lighting.”
For information on other animals available for adoption, visit the shelter’s website.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM.