Babs sets record for shelter stay in London, Ont. Will you love her?

A London shelter dog has set a record nobody wanted her to achieve.

Babs, a cane corso/mastiff, has been at the London Animal Care Centre (LACC) for five months.

The four-and-a-half-year-old was picked up as a stray in east London, just two days before Christmas, on Dec. 23, 2022.

“I’ve been here for almost 19 years, and this is the longest we’ve had a dog,” explained Marcia Arneaud, a canine specialist at LACC.

Without question, Babs is a big and energetic dog.

Her name is even short for Babbles because of her ability to speak her mind. But she also adores people and loves playtime.

In her five months at the shelter, several families have considered taking her home. But none have found her a fit. Some for her size and others because of Babs’ desire to be the only pet in a home.

Babs is seen in her kennel at the London Animal Care Centre in London, Ont. in this undated image. (Source: Submitted)In the interim, Babs has settled at the LACC and bonded with its staff and volunteers. One even painted a picture of her. Still, Arneaud wants Babs to find a permanent home.

“It would do her better not to be here. But she just kind of accepted her circumstances. But I think when she is out of here, she’ll realize there is a better world than here,” she said.

As she waits, Babs finds ways to entertain herself, such as looking for the perfect place to bury her bone.

But most of all, she loves — and we mean really loves — chasing shadows.

“She thinks it is the best thing ever. You’ll throw a toy and she’ll chase the shadow, not the toy itself,” a worker shared.

It is ironic as shadows are, all Babs has seen as she dreams of a family to love. And, as staff care for other animals, most of whom are quickly adopted, their hearts break for Babs.

Babs is seen with London Animal Care Centre employees Marcia Arneaud (left) and Lisa Baer (right) on May 25, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

“She is spending every night alone, and that just does not seem fair,” said Lisa Baer, the animal care manager at LACC. “She is such an amazing dog, and we know she would complete someone’s life. There is a hole in her heart where a family should be.”

Babs, who has responded well to training, is also free to adopt.

A donor paid her adoption fees in February, hopeful it would entice someone to take her from the shelter to her forever home.

“It’s great that she is happy,” Baer said. “But this isn’t the place you want to live for the rest of your life. She needs to be in a home with a family.”

If you would like to be considered to be Bab's new family, you can contact the LACC at 519-685-1330. 

Babs has become so beloved by staff at the London Animal Care Centre in London, Ont. that one member painted a picture of her. (Source: Submitted)