GODFREY, Ill. — A 14-year-old dog named Wiggles, who had been at a local animal shelter for 11 years, has finally found her forever home.
Wiggles went home with her new family over the weekend, just a couple days after 5 On Your Side shared her story.
Wiggles first came to 5A's Animal Shelter in 2010 and had been there ever since. Over the years, the shelter made multiple posts on social media in hopes of finding her a home, but she kept getting overlooked.
After seeing our story, Wiggles' new owners, and many others, called the shelter to ask about adopting her. And over the weekend, she took her last trip out of the shelter.
Her new owners live in Lake St. Louis and the shelter's director, Rick Jun, said they are a great fit.
Wiggles first came to the shelter in May 2010 when she was just 3 years old. Her former owners brought her there because she had allergies and they couldn’t take care of her anymore.
“She was sweet, and they hated to do that, but they just couldn’t afford to give her medicine and take care of her,” said Carla, who works in the kennel at 5A’s.
Then in 2016, Wiggles developed a tumor.
A veterinarian told the shelter it was benign and said they just needed to keep an eye on it. The tumor has grown over the years but doesn't seem to bother her and hasn’t affected her ability to run or play.
The shelter believed she kept getting overlooked because of the tumor and her allergy problems.
“We’ve had several calls but the minute I tell him that tumor is the size of a cantaloupe they’re like, ‘Oh my,’” Carla explained.
Carla said there was an effort to raise money for Wiggles to have the tumor removed last year, but the vet wouldn't do the surgery due to Wiggles' age.
"They were afraid she was just too old to have that type of surgery," she said.
But despite having those issues, the shelter said Wiggles is a sweet girl and loves everyone.
“She’s one of our specials, the older dogs, we spend a little more time with them," Carla said. "She's a sweetheart and she's a happy girl."
If you'd like to adopt a pet from 5A's, you can reach out to the shelter on its website or call 618-466-3702.
