Bosco is 'going home': After 3 months, abandoned dog finds home thanks to 11-year-old's viral video

When Shannon Orell-Bast visited the Regina Humane Society last week and saw the sad-looking eyes of an abandoned dog looking back at her through the bars, she felt terrible — and knew she had to do something to help. 

"I saw Bosco and it was probably one of the more heartbreaking things I've ever seen," she said. 

The dog had been surrendered in August and still hadn't been adopted.

But thanks to the efforts of Orell-Bast and her 11-year-old daughter, Anabelle, Bosco has now found a home — after people lined up at the Regina Humane Society Monday to adopt the dog that was previously unwanted.  

"It was a pretty amazing place to be in, yesterday at noon," Shannon Orell-Bast said through tears on Tuesday. "Apparently they announced it over the intercom.… Bosco was going home." 

When Orell-Bast saw the dog last week, she took a video of him — which she then took home to show her daughter, who helps find homes for pets through her own project, Annie's Animal Rescue. 

Anabelle told her mother she wanted to help find a home for Bosco, and the two decided to put the video on Facebook, with a plea for people to consider adopting him. 

To the pair's surprise, the video began racking up views — and offers to adopt Bosco poured in.

Within days, the once unwanted dog's face had been seen tens of thousands of times. 

After the video of Bosco exploded online, Orell-Bast says she called the Humane Society to give them a heads up that the organization could be busier than usual when opening up on Monday.

"There was a lot of exposure, which was awesome. That's what we wanted. That was the whole goal. We wanted people to see Bosco. We wanted a family to step up and take him," said Orell-Bast.

That's just what happened Monday, after Arlene Makuch and her husband, Gary, saw Orell-Bast's post.

The couple had long thought about becoming dog owners, and Bosco seemed to call out to them. 

"It just seemed to be the right time, right now, and we thought about it more and more," she said, adding a visit on Saturday convinced her that Bosco was the dog for them. 

"He doesn't come to the cage door, like upfront, very often. And as soon as I crouched down, he came to me immediately and he brought me his ball and it was, like, literally — his eyes were just so sad."

Makuch was the first person in a long line on Monday to adopt Bosco, while others ended up adopting different animals. Two cats, two kittens, five dogs and two puppies went home to new families on Monday, said Orell-Bast.

"It was such an exciting day for everyone … and lots and lots of tears," she said. "This wasn't just about a dog, it was about a community."

Bosco is settling into his home, according to Makuch, who said he has followed her and her husband everywhere, not letting them out of his sight.

"I truly believe there's a reason why I went to the humane society on Saturday, because I haven't been there in a number of years, and there was something about it that took me out there," she said.

"And there was a reason that we were first in line to get him on Monday."

She can already tell that Bosco and her husband will be best buds. 

"He's just going to fit nicely into our home."