After more than three years living at a shelter, Harriet the dog finally has a forever home.
NBC 5 first introduced viewers to Harriet, a 7-year-old pit bull, when she was living at a kennel in Lavon.
Under the care of Rockwall Animal Rescue, Meri-Lou Mahoney and a team of volunteers did everything they could to find Harriet a home. However, days and weeks turned to months and years, and Harriet still couldn't find a permanent home.
Those caring for her believe there was a stigma among potential families due to her age and her breed. She also fits best with a family without other dogs, but it certainly wasn't her loving personality that kept her waiting.
Harriet's story went viral after a photo of her next to a sign detailing the length of her time in the boarding facility was shared on social media, and we shared her story on NBC 5.
"I was just getting ready for work one day and happened to come across her pretty face on the screen," said Luis Perez. "I told my wife that I wanted to go ahead and see if we can adopt her, bring her into our family and give her a loving home. And we're grateful enough to go ahead and be able to do it."
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Luis and Karina Perez live in Little Elm and were among the hundreds of people who inquired about adopting Harriet.
"It was just love at first sight," Karina Perez said. "We saw her and she just stole our hearts, and it's just been an amazing experience."
"I had to have her as soon as I saw her. She's just gorgeous. You can see she's just calm, she just loves getting petted," said Luis Perez.
More than 200 phone calls and emails poured into Mahoney. It was a time consuming and difficult process to narrow down the search, she said, but Mahoney made an effort to return each call and email she received.
"A lot of what I heard was, 'Oh my God, she's been in the facility for over 1,100 days, how can that be? No dog should have to live that way,'" Mahoney said. "And then there were the people that contacted me and said, 'Oh my God, I just couldn't stand looking in those eyes, those eyes just killed me.'"
Seven families then filled out formal applications, and four families showed up to meet Harriet.
"The final decision was Harriet's," Mahoney said.
On Monday, Harriet visited the Perez home to make sure it was a good fit.
"She's amazing," Karina Perez said. "She did really well at the house. She's really calm, well-mannered and very loving."
Although Harriet was headed for the life those who rescued her dreamed she would one day have, saying goodbye to her temporary home Wednesday was bittersweet.
"It's kind of like if you had children and made the decision to give one of them away, I guess. I don't know if that's the correct analogy, but she has been a child to me," Mahoney said.
Mahoney had plans to retire from rescue at the end of the year, but says she'll never fully be able to give it up.
"I know that I’m never 100-percent going to get out of rescue," she said. "What I'll probably do is have to be a little more selective in picking and choosing every once in a while. If I can maybe save one a year, two a year, I'll probably never completely get out of rescue. I mean, when it's in your blood, it’s in your blood."
Mahoney first picked up Harriet from a kill shelter when she was just a puppy. Harriet was then adopted by a man for several years, but he was forced to turn her back over to the organization.
