Tabitha was brought to PAWS Atlanta as a two-month-old puppy after being found outside. She was sweet, playful, and immediately trusting. Tabitha went to adoption events and fundraising events with our team, always eager to meet new people. Not surprisingly, it only took a month for someone to scoop her up!

However, a month later, she was back at the shelter. Though adopting a puppy can be a fun and joyful experience, it's often more work than people expect. It's almost like bringing home a toddler! The potty training, crate training, and teething can be overwhelming if you don't know what to expect. And, despite our best efforts, sometimes all of that care and learning is too much for an adopter. Which is why we always take our animals back, no matter what.

This was the case with Tabitha, and we knew a better fit was out there for her! And we were right. Not long after coming back to the shelter, Tabitha headed to a foster home. We had a sneaking suspicion that she might be leaving the shelter for the last time because we could see how much her foster mom loved her, but we were patient.

Another month later, our suspicions were correct. Her foster decided to adopt her! It's been nearly two years, and our team was excited to receive an update from her mom this month. She said "It's been almost two years since I adopted Tabitha! Hard to believe it. She's still a big ol' goofball."

Tabitha has grown up into exactly the pup we hoped she would be: silly, fully of joy, and completely loved.