Dog has waited over 500 days to be adopted at Indiana shelter. ‘Sparky is giving up’
No matter how well so many no-kill shelters treat their residents, how much love they shower them with, how many times they throw the ball in a back grassy area, nothing will equal the joy a dog or cat feels when they have a warm home to curl up in.
This is Sparky’s dilemma. And it’s been his dilemma for nearly two years. Currently, Sparky, a 3-year-old mixed pup with a unique black patch on one eye, has been calling the Humane Society for Hamilton County in Fishers, Indiana, his home.
The shelter posted a Facebook video of one of their longest residents in his kennel looking extremely depressed on March 20. And it’s heartbreaking.
“Sparky is giving up,” the shelter said in the video’s caption.
“He doesn’t run to the door anymore when people walk by. He doesn’t light up when someone stops to say hello. He lifts his head—just for a second—before resting it back down, staring at nothing. Waiting for nothing.
“Sparky has been here for 508 days. A year and a half of sleeping on a kennel floor, watching people pass him by. Waiting for someone who never comes.”
The shelter doesn’t have much information on Sparky’s past, but they do know he can be overprotective of his possessions, which can sometimes drive people away.
“He arrived as a stray. No microchip. No collar. No one came looking. Maybe he had a home once. Maybe he didn’t,” the shelter said. “What we do know is that he learned to protect what little he had — his food, his toys — because, at some point, he wasn’t sure when or if he’d get more. And now, because of that, people keep walking.
“But they don’t see the real Sparky.”
According to his pet profile, the pup is a lover of adventure and seeing new places and sights and sounds.
“He’ll happily explore the city (he strutted all over downtown during Taylor Swift’s visit!) and adores cruising around to see Christmas lights. Whether it’s a leisurely walk or a playful romp, Sparky’s mission is to make every moment count,” his profile says.
It’s best if Sparky finds a home with older children and preferably without cats. Other dogs in the household will be considered during a meet-and-greet, the shelter notes.
“They don’t see how funny he is, how he loves to play, how if you sit outside with him, he’ll try to wedge his big bully butt into your lap like he’s a tiny lapdog,” the shelter said regarding people who seem to pass the pup by. “They don’t see the way he lights up when he trusts you, the way he’ll give you his whole heart if you just give him a chance.”
For more information about Sparky, visit the shelter’s website.
Fishers is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Indianapolis.
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Dog has waited over 500 days to be adopted at Indiana shelter. ‘Sparky is giving up’."