Imagine living your whole life inside a pound. That is exactly what 7-year-old Scout the Lab mix has had to endure. He has been at the Humane Society of the Delta in Arkansas his entire life. Scout arrived at the shelter as a puppy, along with his brother. While his brother got adopted, Scout is still left patiently waiting for his forever home. Scout is an adorably sweet dog, so the shelter remains hopeful that he will get adopted.

Scout has come close to leaving the shelter by getting a wonderful foster family to stay with. Andrea Denk and her son, Eddie, both saw Scout at the shelter. While they couldn’t adopt him, they were able to foster him and have given him a loving taste of what life could be like on the outside.

This sweet dog adjusted rather quickly to life outside the shelter. However, the shelter believes the reason that Scout gets overlooked is that he’s a black dog – and now that he’s older, it just makes it that much more difficult.

“We found out he loves kids, he loves adults, and he loves sitting on the sectional,” Denk said. “He’s been working on his leash manners, but he’s very easy going. He’s just happy.”

While 7 years might sound like a long time to some, there have actually been dogs who’ve stayed at the shelter even longer in the past. The shelter is a no-kill establishment, so the animals there are able to stay there until they’re able to find homes. Sadly for some dogs that can sometimes mean years.

The humane society is constantly full of animals and they currently, have about 250 dogs and 50 cats. With so many animals in need of a home, that makes it even harder for Scout to get noticed.

Rita Merritt from the Humane Society of the Delta explained that the reason there are so many stray animals is that people don’t spay and neuter their pets. She noted that the shelter desperately needs a spay and neuter clinic to help put an end to the problem. She also believes that if more people in the community got involved in fostering, it would also help ease the demand for space immensely.

The shelter shares a weekly post appeal about Scout. While his posts always get many likes, comments, and shares, there has yet to be anyone who comes forward to adopt the sweet dog who just wants someone to love and give him a chance.

If you are interested in adopting Scout, you can click here to contact the Humane Society of the Delta.