I have been a volunteer with PAWS Animal Adoption Center for more than 20 years, primarily as a dog walker, and during that time there have been plenty of special dogs who have come along, but most recently we’ve had one that really captured everyone’s heart, Guinness.

Guinness originally came to Maine as a puppy thanks to a partnership PAWS has with shelters in the south and the Bissell Foundation, assisting to save animals from possible euthanasia due to overcrowding. 

As a puppy, he quickly found a happy home, and all was great until January of 2024 when his adopters’ situation changed, and he was returned to PAWS.  We honestly thought he’d find another home quickly.  He is a big boy, but he loves every human he meets, but days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into more than a year, with Guinness still at the shelter. 

During that time, it was discovered Guinness was not a fan of other dogs, so he’d have to be an only pet making it more difficult for him to find a home and the stress of the kennels and being around the other dogs along with what were discovered to be some food allergies were making things rough.  

In another shelter, things might have gone poorly for Guinness, but at PAWS, the veterinary staff that works in the Community Cares Clinic stepped in. Allergy testing was done, a plan to get the inflammation down was made, and his health issues were resolved.

While that was all happening, the animal care staff and volunteers worked with him so he was comfortable wearing a muzzle so he could safely be around other dogs if he was ever in a situation where it couldn’t be avoided.  Through it all, Guinness was the picture of resilience. He remained happy, friendly, and a bundle of joy with every person he met. This guy thought every human was a friend, but still, the right home didn’t come along. 

Guinness was at PAWS for more than 17 months. The staff and volunteers worked to give him extra attention, he spent time in the quarantine area to help reduce the stress of being around so many other dogs, volunteers took him for car rides and extra long walks, and he waited.

There were glimmers of hope during that time, people who expressed interest, a possible foster home that fell through, even a longer-term foster who had the intention to adopt, but that fell apart at the last possible minute. I won’t lie. Tears were shed, but Guinness just kept holding on and remained the happy, playful bundle of enthusiasm and joy that he is. Then, he met a guy….

This man’s wife and son were traveling, and he’d come in to meet one of the other pups, but Guinness caught his eye and really hammed it up for him. He asked who the hardest to place dog had been and the team let him know it was Guinness.

He and I emailed back and forth about Guinness, he kept in touch with the staff, and he had to wait for his family to return to meet him and be sure they were the right fit.  Well, that happened in mid-June, just days before Guinness’s third birthday.  After spending more than half his life in a shelter, he went home for his final foster to adopt period because after a little over a week, his family let us know Guinness finally had a family to call his own. 

We all miss Guinness like mad, but it’s stories like this that make all the work that happens at PAWS Animal Adoption Center worth it.  He is a perfect example of a guy that in another shelter may not have been able to successfully find a home because he had some behavioral issues, being reactive to other dogs. He had a health issue with the allergies that the veterinary care team at PAWS had to address.

He was a long timer – the longest canine resident the shelter has had in the more than 20 years I’ve been a volunteer, but thanks to the commitment of the team at PAWS and the support of donors in the community who allow PAWS to do the work they do, he found his happy home. 

PAWS can’t help animals like Guinness without the support of our community, and to help the organization achieve it’s mission to provide care for homeless dogs and cats until they can be placed in permanent, responsible homes while promoting humane values in our community through outreach and educational programs a Summer Soiree will be hosted at Cellar Door Winery on July 10th and Golden Ticket Raffle Tickets are being sold.

If you would like to help animals like Guinness, please consider attending the Summer Soiree or try your luck with the raffle! For more information about how you can help the animals at PAWS visit www.pawscares.org and if you are looking for a furry family member, remember, adopt, don’t shop and support your local rescue!