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)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Body of Quebec man who died in Cuba found in Russia, family confirms
A Montreal-area family confirmed to CTV News that the body of their loved one who died while on vacation in Cuba is being repatriated to Canada after it was mistakenly sent to Russia.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Saskatchewan isn't remitting the carbon tax on home heating. Why isn't my province following suit?
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
RCMP officers had no legal authority to enter man's home, make arrest: B.C. court
A B.C. man has been found not guilty of assaulting two RCMP officers – with the court finding he was resisting an "unlawful entry and arrest" in his home before he was tasered, taken down and hauled away in handcuffs.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.