Tommie Bear in Houston, Texas, quietly sleeps on his bed and scarcely recognizes anyone walking by his shelter cage. After only a few months, the heartbroken puppy was returned to Harris County Pets.

Tommie Bear was a stray that came into the shelter in June 2020; he had a microchip and was on a contact owner hold for six days. Two individuals wanted to adopt him, and the dog’s first new human gave him to another family, which either let the dog run free or returned him to the shelter.

So, four months later, Tommie Bear, who has had minimal human connection or good behavioral reinforcement, ends up as a sad and miserable pup, knowing that he is back at the shelter, surrounded by loud noises, unfamiliar people, and an unclear future.

“… The adopter claims he becomes too possessive of the person-owner and may not be good among children. Dogs, especially this type, require constant direction and leadership.

Look at him in this video: he’s in shock, miserable, and has no idea what he did wrong…

“It makes me sad and upset, and that’s why I believe he needs a rescue to oversee his adoption this time, since adopters don’t have expertise, and Tommie doesn’t deserve to be terminated again this way,” a shelter volunteer commented.

Here are some shelter notes from Tommie Bear’s unfortunate luck:

LAST UPDATE 10/22: BEAR ALIAS TOMMIE KS RETURNED AFTER BEING ADOPTED JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO! He requires a new home, this time a nice one! Please share one more!

UPDATE 7/9: We regret, but it appears Tommie is not going yet; we’re not sure why the email claimed he was adopted yesterday, but now he’s back on adoption hold, so we’re still waiting for the final word! I’ll contact tomorrow for further information to keep everyone up to date.

-UPDATE 7/6: HE IS STILL ON HOLD FOR ADOPTION…he has not yet left the shelter, therefore we will continue to monitor his situation until he is adopted.

-UPDATE 6/29: TOMMY Gets STILL ON HOLD FOR HIS CHIP, BUT HAS TWO ADOPTORS IN LINE…following until he is adopted.

The important thing in the whole story is that Tommy was adopted by a good family that believed in him and loved him as a real member of the family.