She was about to be euthanized after 800 days in a cage—until one stranger drove 8 hours to save her

Bailie, an adorable 4-year-old shelter dog, was about to be euthanized until someone arrived just in time, giving him a new life that he deserved. Aileen Betancourt (@lifesavingpixie on TikTok), an adoption specialist at Texas-based Laurie P. Andrews Adoption Center, shared a disheartening clip capturing how Bailie, the helpless dog who had been waiting to find a forever home, looked at her with "so much trust" while she posted the painful sign on her kennel, informing potential adopters that she was running out of time.

When dogs, cats, and other abandoned pets enter shelter homes, not all of them find a suitable home for adoption. In such heartbreaking situations, most shelters make the tough call of euthanizing the 'unadoptables,' especially the senior animals, to avoid overcrowding, illness, lack of resources, behavioral issues, etc. Similarly, Bailey, who, too, had spent over two years at the animal shelter waiting for a place to call home, unfortunately, was scheduled to meet the same fate as the 334,000 American dogs in 2024, until a miracle changed everything at the last moment. "Her time is running out, and she desperately needs a forever family. Her adoption fee is waived, and she’s fully vaccinated and spayed. Everything is ready, she just needs you," Aileen wrote, anxiously hoping for someone to step up and rescue Bailie before she was gone forever.

"Bailie is sweet, energetic, social with other dogs, playful, confident, and absolutely loves to explore," she added, talking about the dog's jolly nature. Notably, Newsweek reported that Bailey, a pit bull mix, was picked up as a stray by animal control in April 2023. Despite being fully vaccinated and spayed, Aileen said that she was always overlooked by potential adopters. However, when the woman shared Bailey's story online, the post, fortunately, reached someone who even drove 8 hours to adopt the dog, reminding us how patience and faith can lead to life-changing moments.

Meanwhile, Bailie's video received an overwhelming response on social media, leaving people teary-eyed. For instance, @madisonsacc commented, "With how long she has been here, she has only proven how strong and great of a dog she is! If you have ANY INTEREST, please take the leap, adopt to find her a home, or have yourself a companion forever; their love is endless!" @ashlyn61345 commented, "It’s so sad too because all they remember is being locked in a cage and not properly loved as one should." On the other hand, @eyezneverlie said, "I wish I were rich enough to waive adoption fees for every single dog and STILL be able to rescue them in my own future rescue."

@bark.feline shared, "Kill shelters are not the problem, people. It's people breeding mutts and not being committed to a dog. Most of the time, kill shelters remove dogs who have sat in cages for years and have no hope, also making space for more dogs who can potentially get adopted. We should stop putting human morals on animals." Similarly, a person, @alex, wrote, "Kill shelters are not to blame for situations like this. It’s the people not spaying and neutering their animals. It’s the people getting an animal when they’re not ready. Kill shelters only exist because humans suck."

You can follow Fairy Paws (@lifesavingpixie) on TikTok for more dog adoption-related stories.

If you know of a dog about to be euthanized, please reach out to 'SAFE Rescue Team' at (714) 369-3699 or SAFE@saferescueteam.org to give the animal a shot at adoption.