Rescue dog returned just 11 days after adoption for being “inconvenient”

A rescue dog who hit the jackpot after being saved from a kill shelter and adopted, has suffered the heartbreak of being returned after a matter of days.

Vega is now being cared for by Kayla Winrow, a foster carer based in Oklahoma City, after the dog was returned by her new owners just 11 days after the adoption. As Winrow put it in a video posted to her TikTok account, (@salvage.souls), “they just decided having a dog was inconvenient.”

“They returned her because they decided they wanted to move and didn’t want to take her with them,” she wrote alongside a clip of Vega in her arms. “That’s it. She wasn’t bad. She didn’t do anything wrong…”

Winrow is partnered with several local rescues and regularly fosters dogs placed on the euthanasia list at the city shelter. However, she wasn’t the one who first came to Vega’s rescue.

“She was brought in as an abandoned stray so that’s all we know. Vega was one of those dogs that was on the euthanasia list [at the city shelter] due to overcrowding,” Winrow told Newsweek. “Initially, a different foster parent stepped up for her, saving her life!”

Aided by a rescue called the “We’re OK! Foundation”, who paid for her veterinary care, Vega was able to leave the shelter as a result and benefit from the personalized care a foster home provides.

Vega was then adopted soon after. But it didn’t last.

“Within just 11 days after Vega was adopted, the adoptive parent reached out to the previous foster parent, saying she would no longer be able to keep Vega,” Winrow said.

There was a problem though. “The previous foster parent had to make a sudden move out of the area for her family,” Winrow explained.

“This being the case, once I was made aware, My husband and I decided we could not let Vega get the short end of the stick again, and stepped in to foster her!”

There are a number of entirely valid reasons for deciding to relinquish a companion animal. A 2024 study in the scientific journal Animals, which saw researchers analyze data from 2,836 randomly chosen owner relinquishment records over a six year period, identified some of the most commonly cited reasons.

The most commonly identified reasons cited in the study included behavioral issues (28 percent), housing/moving (18 percent), and the inability to care for the animals (16 percent).

The good news is that Vega has now settled in well in Winrow’s home while they look for her forever family.

“She adjusted well since she was familiar with us,” Winrow said. “She was extremely happy to be here.”

However, the fact remains that Vega needs something more permanent. Winrow has every confidence she will find exactly that having seen her “sweet loving demeanor” around people.

“She would be perfect for anyone looking for a loyal, loving companion who enjoys having a tagalong in life,” she said. “She’s a snuggly couch potato, but loves going to all the dog friendly places with her humans.”

The hope now is that the next adoption is a permanent one.