Romeo gets a home

CRESTVIEW—A 2-year-old dog found a new home for Valentine’s Day after being left Feb. 8 in a duffel bag at Crestview City Hall.

Five people arrived at the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society on Tuesday hoping to bring Romeo home; one of them checked in an hour before adoptions could even begin, according to Katie Bruno, who processed the adoption.

Romeo came to the community's attention after a man left the dog at City Hall, saying he needed help with the dog, before leaving the scene. Romeo had to be cut from the duffel bag he was recovered from and was underweight and shy, Mary Rudder of PAWS told the Northwest Florida Daily News.

The young dog also had a wound on one of his legs, possibly from a pellet gun. However, not enough information was available to locate or investigate the man for possible animal cruelty, Rudder told the Daily News.

“He went very quickly,” Bruno said in reference to his adoption. Tuesday was the first day Romeo was available to be adopted. A single woman rescued the beagle and hound mix, according to Bruno.

“He got himself a good home,” she said.

Romeo’s story had a happy ending but Bruno wished other dogs shared the same luck. The other individuals hoping to adopt Romeo left after he was adopted to somebody else.

“I wish the people had stayed and met with other dogs,” Bruno said. PAWS has 40 dogs listed for adoption on its website and over 100 cats.

“Every animal here has their own story and I wish the other people hoping for Romeo had listened to their stories and gone home with another dog,” Bruno said.

Call 243-1525 or visit www.paws-shelter.com for more information on adopting an animal from PAWS.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Romeo gets a home