Like many dogs living in shelters, Ace longed for the moment someone would choose him and take him home.
Day after day, he waited quietly in his kennel, watching visitors walk past and hoping one might pause to meet him. Again and again, people moved on, leaving him behind.
After more than 420 days at the Miami-Dade Animal Services Pet Adoption & Protection Center in Florida, the four-year-old dog began to lose hope that his turn would ever come. Life settled into a routine of waiting and wondering.
What Ace did not realize was that change was approaching, and his story was about to take a very different direction.
A Chance To Feel Safe
As a hurricane approached Florida, the shelter reached out to the community, asking locals to foster animals temporarily for safety.
Gabrielle Brudner and her family didn’t hesitate to help. When they arrived, they found Ace lying on a thin blanket spread over a hard concrete floor. He had even developed sores from resting there for so long.
The family decided to bring him home and give him the comfort and care he desperately needed.
When Ace realized he was finally leaving the shelter, his excitement was overwhelming. He wagged his tail nonstop, sensing freedom and love ahead.
For the first time in months, he could rest in peace and quiet, away from the constant barking and chaos of the shelter.
Once he settled in, Ace quickly bonded with his foster family. He soaked up their affection and won their hearts almost instantly.
Gabrielle became especially attached to him and began hoping he would soon find a forever home.
After a few days, Ace was transferred to another foster family. Gabrielle missed him terribly. When she heard that things weren’t going well in his new home, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Back at the shelter, Ace began a two-week obedience and training program to prepare him for adoption.
Home At Last
Gabrielle’s entire family realized how much they missed him. They knew they didn’t want to let him go again.
When Gabrielle’s father announced that they would adopt Ace, she was overjoyed.
As soon as Ace completed his training, his new family came to pick him up and take him home for good.
They bought him a soft bed and a cozy blanket embroidered with his name. Ace stretched out on his bed, completely content for the first time in a long while.
Gabrielle shared a video of Ace enjoying his new life on TikTok, and viewers fell in love with his story.
After more than a year on a cold shelter floor, Ace finally had a warm bed, a loving family, and the peace he had always deserved.