A dog who has waited patiently for over a year in a shelter for her forever home has become a social media hit as animal lovers try everything to get her adopted.
Melia, described as a nervous black dog, had spent 413 days at Hempstead Animal Shelter in New York as of Tuesday October 29.
Shelter worker Lu, who has volunteered at Hempstead for five years, has shone a spotlight on Melia, saying the organization is the dog's "only hope." "She will not get out without our help," Lu said.
Lu's Instagram page regularly features dogs who struggle to be adopted without a special push, and after helping shelter dog Bullseye get adopted, Lu has changed the account's Instagram name to @adopt_melia_and_friends and is now posting daily clips and photos of Melia.
"I feature pups that are struggling getting placed or just invisible and need to be seen," Lu told Newsweek.
One post on Melia has been seen by thousands of people, racking up over 21,000 likes in just two days since being shared on October 27.
It shows Melia lying in a kennel, looking lonesome and staring out through the bars, alongside the words: "No one picks the nervous black dog. Now she is wasting away at 410 days here."
The pup originally arrived at the shelter in 2022, after being found "hungry and alone in an apartment after her owners left her behind," Lu said.
Not long after being admitted, a family member reclaimed her—but she was back at the shelter months later. A foster placement proved short-lived "due to an incident in the home," and the shelter is hoping for a "patient home" for Melia, "where she can learn there are good people who want to do right by her."
Shelter director Ashley Behrens told Newsweek: "Melia is a sweet but nervous dog who was taken from evictions both times she came in. The first time her owner came for her and the second time they did not.
"Since she is a nervous dog, she does have a bite history because of her fear, but given the space she needs to grow accustomed to an individual, once she feels comfortable with you she is great!"
Melia is still nervous in the kennels, but is hitting what shelter workers describe as "mini milestones," and once outside is "eager to run, play and engage."
Lu told Newsweek: "She has a sad story of being abandoned by her family and then shuffled around, and we would like to finally find a home that will be her forever. Someone with experience with nervous dogs would be very beneficial to her thriving. She needs an adult-only home. Low-key dogs are a maybe if the meet and greets go well."
Behrens added: "Her perfect home would be a quiet one with not much traffic and someone who would be patient with her and help build her confidence. Given the right owner, Melia will shine."
Instagram users responded with kind words to Melia's story, with one commenter writing: "Sweet Melia. Nervous dogs are usually the most loving pets, once they feel comfortable and safe."
"Black dogs are amazing," another agreed, while one optimistic commenter predicted: "I'm telling ya, this dog will be somebody's world."
And as one put it: "410 days. It hurts me so bad knowing that she's been in there that long."
An estimated 6.3 million animals enter shelters each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Around 4.1 million are adopted each year, including 2 million dogs.
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