For more than five years, Scraggles has watched people come and go from Abandoned Pet Rescue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Somewhere along the way, the scruffy young dog who arrived at the shelter in 2021 became a 7-year-old still waiting for someone to finally choose him. That’s more than 1,900 days without a home of his own, a staggering amount of time for any shelter dog to wait. Yet somehow, Scraggles hasn’t stopped finding reasons to enjoy himself, especially when someone brings out his favorite tennis ball.
Scraggles is a fetch fanatic who has become known for an impressive midair move that his shelter jokingly describes as a backflip. He loves racing after his ball, rolling through the grass for belly rubs, enjoying treats, and soaking up attention from the people around him. Now, after years of waiting, a special photography project is putting Scraggles back in the spotlight. The hope is simple but incredibly important: maybe the right person just hasn’t seen him yet.
Scraggles Has Been Waiting Since 2021
Scraggles arrived at Abandoned Pet Rescue on June 8, 2021. He was still a young dog with most of his life ahead of him, but the home everyone hoped would come quickly never arrived. Days became months, and months eventually became years. Scraggles is now 7 years old and has spent more than 1,900 days waiting at the no-kill shelter.
That makes him a member of the shelter’s “365+ Club,” a group no animal particularly wants to join. These are pets who have remained in the shelter for more than a year while continuing to wait for their match. Scraggles has blown well past that milestone, with more than five years passing since his arrival. His long stay isn’t because he doesn’t have plenty to offer, either.
Scraggles is house-trained, walks well on a leash, loves treats, and has mastered the art of balancing an athletic side with a much calmer one. He’ll happily chase a tennis ball outside and then settle down with his stuffed toys, but what he doesn’t have yet is the person who gets to do those things with him at home.
A Camera Gives Scraggles Another Chance to Be Seen
After so many years of waiting, Scraggles recently stepped in front of the camera for a project designed to help long-term shelter animals get noticed. Pet photographer Adam Goldberg of AGoldPhoto teamed up with Herzen of Xpawsures and Clear the Shelters to photograph animals at Abandoned Pet Rescue.
Their goal was to give shelter pets like Scraggles a stronger shot at adoption by showing people the personalities behind the kennel doors. For Scraggles, that meant doing what he does best and letting everyone see the playful dog who has been waiting all these years.
The resulting images and video capture a dog who seems considerably more interested in playing fetch and rolling around for belly rubs than contemplating how long he’s been waiting. His scruffy face may show that he’s getting older, but the tennis-ball enthusiast underneath certainly hasn’t disappeared.
When the photography project was shared, Scraggles had spent 1,910 days waiting. After all that time, the things he was missing were surprisingly simple: a family, a cozy bed, and somewhere to finally call home.
His Favorite Thing in the World Is Fetch
Anyone considering adopting Scraggles should probably have a tennis ball handy. Playing fetch isn’t merely something he enjoys because Abandoned Pet Rescue has made it clear that chasing a ball ranks very high on his list of favorite things.
Scraggles brings the ball back so the game can continue, and he’s athletic enough that shelter staff have joked about his midair catches and acrobatics. He has even been described as the “tennis ball fetch champion of the world,” complete with a signature backflip while catching the ball in midair.
His ideal home would give him opportunities to continue playing his favorite game. For someone who enjoys an active dog but also wants a companion capable of settling down afterward, Scraggles has a little of both.
He also enjoys rolling in the grass for belly rubs and spending time with the people around him. Even after years of shelter life, there are still plenty of ordinary experiences waiting for Scraggles outside those walls.
What Kind of Home Does Scraggles Need?
Finding the right home matters just as much as finding any home, particularly for a dog who has already waited this long. Abandoned Pet Rescue says Scraggles would do best as the only pet, although he tends to prefer female dogs and may be able to make canine friends with time.
The shelter’s current adoption information also says Scraggles is fully house-trained and keeps his kennel clean. He’s vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped, leaving one particularly important item unchecked on his list: finding his person.
At approximately 60 pounds, Scraggles is a substantial cuddle buddy with plenty of energy for playtime. He also has a calmer side, making him the kind of dog who can enjoy activity before settling down to relax.
In his kennel, Scraggles cuddles with his stuffed toys while he waits for the day when there might be a human beside him instead. That small detail makes his five-year wait feel particularly difficult because, despite all the love he receives at the shelter, he still doesn’t have a home of his own.
More Than 1,900 Days and Still Waiting
Scraggles isn’t the young dog who first arrived at Abandoned Pet Rescue anymore. Five years have passed, and he has spent a significant portion of his life waiting for something many shelter dogs find much sooner.
Still, the things Scraggles enjoys are remarkably simple. Give him a tennis ball to chase, some grass for rolling around, a few treats, and people willing to hand out belly rubs, and his personality quickly takes over.
The new photographs give him another opportunity to reach someone who might otherwise never have known he was there. Sometimes, a different picture, a shared post, or one person stopping long enough to read about a shelter dog can put that animal in front of exactly the right family.
Until then, Scraggles will keep doing what he’s been doing throughout his long wait. He’ll play fetch, collect belly rubs, cuddle his stuffed toys, and wait for someone to finally walk through the shelter doors looking for a dog exactly like him.
After more than five years, Scraggles has certainly had enough practice waiting, and everyone sharing his story hopes his next chapter looks very different. The best number attached to his name now wouldn’t be another shelter milestone, but the number of days he’s finally spent at home.
This content was created with AI assistance and edited by the iHeartDogs team.
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