Dog Adoped After 7 Years in Animal Shelter

After seven years in a shelter and one failed attempt at adoption, an Ohio dog has found his forever home!

Nitro the male Great Dane mix first arrived at The Healthy Hearts and Paws Project in Warren, Ohio — about 50 miles outside Cleveland — in 2018, after shelter founder Jason Cooke found him as a puppy about to be euthanized in a county kennel, according to local outlet WOIO.

“We have a very special one this time,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post, announcing their adoptions for July and August.

“We finally found #NITRO his forever home and he is not coming back❤️❤️❤️❤️,” the shelter wrote.

“We can’t be more proud of him and his new family for welcoming him into their home,” the post added. “You deserve this and so much more sweet boy🐾🐾🐾.”

Cooke told WOIO that although most of the dogs in the care of the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project need medical treatment for heartworms, Nitro didn’t test positive for any disease — but volunteers with the project still recognized that the pup needed help.

Healthy Hearts and Paws helped to train Nitro. The mixed-breed dog eventually grew into an 80-pound “teddy bear,” who was well-trained, received his shots, and was chipped and neutered, Cooke said.

“He’s a big teddy bear, with the energy of a toddler,” the shelter said of Nitro.

Despite his training and loving personality, Nitro struggled to be adopted, and he soon became the longest resident at the shelter.

“I don’t know if it’s because we have a lot of dogs here and he gets overlooked, or because it’s of his size, but if people would just come out and meet him, give him a chance, they would fall in love with him,” Cooke told WKBN in July.

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The sweet dog was even returned after an attempted adoption in late July 2025.

“Our hearts break for him, as we truly believed he had finally found his forever home,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post at the time. “Unfortunately, one of the resident dogs didn’t get along with Nitro, and we know that sometimes, just like people, dogs don’t connect for various reasons.”

Healthy Hearts and Paws previously described him as a dog who loves to “run, play and be snuggly.” He also loves lakes, hiking and exploring, and is attentive when humans give him commands.

“We remain optimistic that his perfect match is still out there, and this setback is merely a detour,” the post added.

Healthy Hearts and Paws feared that he might make it to seven years in the shelter if he wasn’t adopted by Sept. 10.

“He’s just a kind soul, and I feel bad that almost his entire life has been spent in the shelter,” Cooke added to WKBN.

Luckily for Nitro, the big day eventually came when a family in Greenford, Ohio, visited — and decided to take him home, just days before the seven-year mark would have passed.

Back in July, Cooke told WKBN that it would be a “huge party” the day that Nitro finally found his forever home. “It would just be a testament to all the great work that the volunteers do taking care of these dogs, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes.”

Dozens of other dogs and cats are also available for adoption through the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project.