Dog still waiting for a new family after one year at Humane Society

A dog in Kitchener, Ont. is hoping this will finally be his year to meet a loving family. CTV’s Colton Wiens learns more about Miller.

A dog at the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth is hoping his long wait will be over soon.

Miller, a two-and-a-half-year-old large breed, has been with the Humane Society for more than year now, earning him the unenviable title of the shelter’s longest canine resident.

“This is a pretty unique case for us,” Kaleigh Siegner-Robertson, marketing and communications coordinator for the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth, said. “Most dogs end up in a home around the 30-day mark, on average. Typically, that involves foster as well. Miller has actually never been fostered.”

Since the start of his stay, Miller has seen 300 other dogs come in and find their new families.

“We all kind of love Miller here. It’ll be a very exciting day when he does get matched with a forever home because he’s been a consistent piece,” Siegner-Robertson said.

Miller has some hound characteristics, and can be vocal and independent.

“He is a loud boy, so he does need to be in a single standalone house. No shared walls, those kinds of things,” Siegner-Robertson explained. “He does have a bit of a prey drive, so we want to keep him away from smaller animals. He does love other dogs. He just has a unique set of needs for a good match. We haven’t been able to find that perfect fit yet.”

“He would just make such a fantastic pet”

Some people have shown interest in Miller, but nothing has worked out in his favour so far.

“He has, over the year he’s been with us, turned into one of the warmest, most funny dogs,” Stephanie Betlejemski, a canine specialist with the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth, said.

Betlejemski said when dogs spend a long time in the Humane Society’s shelter environment, it can lead to a decline in behaviour or mental well-being. Typically, staff may look at moving an animal to a different rescue or organization that can offer more enrichment opportunities and other services.

“But with Miller, and a testament to what a good dog Miller is, he’s been doing really well with us. A lot of that is to do with how well he does with other dogs,” Betlejemski explained.

Miller is in Kitchener, Ont. right now, but he is available for adoption across the country.

“We will adopt anywhere. One of the criteria that we have for our dogs, the adopters need to sign up for training afterwards. We would find a trainer, a positive reinforcement trainer, in your area for you to work with Miller,” Betlejemski said.

She is confident Miller can thrive in the right home.

“A lot of us call him our friend. We just know him so well. He would just make such a fantastic, fantastic pet.”