MUSKEGON, MI – A dog with a uniquely difficult journey is still waiting for a forever home.
Cruiser, an 8-year-old American Bulldog mix, has spent most of his life at the Big Lake Humane Society in Muskegon.
Earlier this month, shelter Manager Velvet Lyght livestreamed herself sleeping overnight in the kennel with Cruiser, in an effort to get the senior dog adopted.
It’s been two weeks and, despite his adoption fee already being sponsored, Cruiser has not had any requests for adoption.
Lyght said it’s for “the same reasons he, and animals like him, always struggled to be adopted, in addition to people just not adopting at this time.”
“He‘s a big, old, dark, Bully breed and has to be the only animal in the home with no small children and a yard,” Lyght said. “It’s a tough sell. Even with a fantastic personality.”
Cruiser is about 60 pounds and, in a picture, may look more “intimidating” to some, especially if placed next to a small puppy on an adoption website.
“People don’t necessarily come to the shelter first, they’re Googling where to find a certain kind of dog, or rescues nearby,” Lyght said. “Pictures of dark-furred animals just generally don’t do well … Cruiser, in part, has that big Bully head and face and when he’s smiling at you it is very disconcerting. People are like, ‘look at the big, scary dog.’
“The assumption is they’re broken and there must be something wrong as to why they are in the shelter for a very long time.”
Potential adopters may also be turned off by the requests of no other dogs in the home, no children and access to a yard or lots of exercise. Lyght said she would want someone who has experience with dogs, particularly large and active dogs, to adopt Cruiser.
While he’s not as active as he used to be, Lyght described Cruiser as “strong, smart and active dog with so much love to give.”
“He loves tug-o-war, cuddles on couches, to go for walks and car rides.”
Lyght jokingly described Cruiser as having a “Jack-O-Lantern smile.”
Cruiser, who first came to Big Lake as a puppy, returned to the shelter this past May after his owner died.
He had no adoption applications for months, so Lyght, after making a promise at a fundraiser to sleep in the kennel overnight, made a point to advertise Cruiser to the community.
“He was getting pretty sad and actually perked up after I stayed with him,” Lyght said. “He started playing with toys again and getting up to greet people.
“The staff and volunteers love him. He’s a big goofball.”
Cruiser first transferred to Big Lake in 2016 from Detroit Animal Care and Control when he was around nine months old.
When Lyght joined the Big Lake staff in 2018, Cruiser was still at the shelter and was then the longest resident. While waiting to be adopted, Cruiser graduated from a handful of training programs, including the Canine Good Citizen test, and was a “star pupil” at the shelter’s previous Prison Pup Partnership program in early 2020.
In June of 2020, a man named John walked into the shelter during a plea to adopt and foster dogs out.
“He stopped in front of Cruiser’s kennel and said, ‘Now that’s my dog,‘” Lyght said. “The happy ending we hoped for Cruiser came crashing down when John passed away earlier this year in May.”
John’s family was not able to accommodate Cruiser in their homes, since they all have dogs, and Cruiser does not do well with other dogs in the home.
When dogs spend prolonged time in a shelter, it can affect their personality and habits.
“Dogs, inherently, they understand the change in environment, they understand the change in routine,” Lyght said.
It‘s a “dramatic” adjustment for many dogs to go from their comfort at a home, with the humans they know around them, to living in a shelter where their basic needs are met, but, for example, it is always loud.
Lyght said some dogs may react by curling in their bed and avoiding social interaction, while others will jump and bark. The latter will often cause a potential adopter to quickly overlook a dog, who likely won’t behave that way once they are in a stable home.
“It just makes people glance over them because they‘re like, ’that‘s too much for me’ or ‘that’s too scary for me,‘” Lyght said, adding that she’s seen many dogs who get fostered do a “180 so quickly.”
“They become these outgoing, very friendly dogs who are no longer afraid,” Lyght said.
Cruiser is available for adoption, but also for foster care, if someone desires.
“Say you’re recently retired and you’re still a really active person, but you have grandkids, not kids around all the time,” Lyght posed. “Would you consider making the spare bedroom for Cruiser?”
There are also opportunities for volunteers to take any of the shelter dogs for a day out, overnight, a weekend, or a two-week ‘canine camp’ – with approval from Lyght. The shelter even provides anything that might be needed during that time: kennel, bed, toys, towels, shampoo, harnesses, leashes, bandanas (that say ‘adopt me’).
“All we ask for is you maybe take some pictures of them laying on your couch, or eating hamburger in your backyard,” Lyght said. “That makes animals look more adoptable. It’s much easier to imagine a dog in your home.”
Big Lake also helps adopters with any other questions or needs they may have. There is even a certified dog trainer on staff.
“There’s a lot of support,” Lyght said. “It’s not diving into the deep end. We’re here to help with any questions or concerns they might have.”
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