Dog adopted after spending 11 years at Illinois animal shelter

GODFREY, Ill. — Wiggles, a 14-year-old pit bull mix, who has spent the majority of her life at an Illinois animal shelter, was recently adopted.

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She first came to the 5A Animal Shelter in 2010 because she had allergies and her owners were no longer able to care for her, KSDK reported.

“She was sweet, and they hated to do that, but they just couldn’t afford to give her medicine and take care of her,” Karla Crane, a shelter employee, told KSDK.

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In 2016, she developed a tumor. A veterinarian said it was benign, and although it has grown over the years, it does not seem to bother her or impact her mobility. She is now too old to have the large mass removed, despite efforts to raise money for the surgery.

Wiggles was featured in numerous adoption ads over the years; she was never able to find a forever home. Staff felt it might have been because of her medical conditions. She also had a rough personality.

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“When she first came in, she was not a very nice little dog,” Crane said.

But she warmed over the years. And while the shelter was able to take care of Wiggles’s special needs for more than a decade, she was adopted last weekend. She moved to Missouri with her new family, CNN reported. The owners seem to be a great fit, the shelter said.

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“They’re perfect,” Crane told CNN. “We couldn’t ask for anybody better.”

Crane said older dogs are typically harder to adopt, although Wiggles is an exceptional case.

“If a puppy comes in, they’re adopted within a month -- sometimes within a week. Older dogs that come in ... they’re the ones that have to stay here until we find a family,” she told CNN. “I always say there’s a family out there for every dog that we have here. Even the ones that have issues.”

5As, Alton Area Animal Aid Association, is a no-kill shelter that has operated since 1956.

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