The Santa Clarita community came together over the last few weeks to save a senior dog named Honey from the shelter, and volunteers are now celebrating Honey’s seemingly miraculous adoption on what would have been the final day of her life.

In mid January, 10-year-old Honey found herself abandoned by her former owners at the Castaic Animal Shelter. Volunteers knew immediately that Honey would be hard to place because of her senior status, coupled with the mysterious scars and marks she had on her graying muzzle and body. 

Honey at the shelter. Photo courtesy of Stacie Contreras.

“The problem with Honey — and this is what happens with a lot of seniors — is people walk by them,” said Stacie Contreras, a shelter volunteer who led the effort to save Honey’s life. “She was just a sweet old soul, and all she wanted was a place to put her head. But because of how she looked, nobody gave her the time of day.” 

A temperament test by shelter staff revealed another challenge: Honey was “selective” about the dogs she got along with. The kennel environment also seemed to bring out Honey’s louder side, and she would bark for attention from her kennel.

“People (think), ‘Oh, I don’t want a dog that barks,’” Contreras said. “In reality, she was barking really just to try to get their attention, and the minute you took her out of her kennel, she was an angel — there was no barking. She just wanted to be walked and snuggle up on you. That’s one of the things in the shelter that we try to get across is, what you see in the kennel is not what they are when they’re out. They’re different.” 

After about a month of consistently being overlooked, Honey’s time was running out. Her already bleak situation became even worse when she and another dog got loose and a fight took place. As a result, Honey was deemed “rescue only” by shelter staff and could no longer leave her kennel for safety reasons. 

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Contreras knew it would take a miracle to get Honey out of the shelter alive, but after the recent loss of her own 10-year-old senior pit mix, Scooby, she was determined to make it happen. She began making videos and posting them on social media, calling on the community for help. 

Honey enjoying a “puppuccino” at the shelter. Photo courtesy of Stacie Contreras.

“For me, it became personal,” Contreras said. “Jan. 28, we lost our senior, who was a staffie pit mix, and I couldn’t save him. We tried everything… So trying to save another senior the same age, 10 years old, kind of hit home for me because she wasn’t sick, and I wanted to try and help a dog that had been abandoned, because I could never imagine abandoning my baby.” 

The response from the Santa Clarita community was overwhelming. Honey’s videos got thousands upon thousands of views, reactions and shares, and people even began pledging money for her to be rescued. 

“That’s what saved her, is our community here really went to battle,” Contreras said. “That’s sometimes what it takes, especially with these seniors, is getting the word out there. And SCV was absolutely amazing with the community stepping in and trying to help.” 

Because of the social media attention, Honey — who otherwise would have been scheduled to be euthanized — continued to receive extensions, buying Contreras more time to find a way to save her. 

Another shelter volunteer, Susan Friend-LeTourneur, offered up her own private rescue, Golden Years Dog Sanctuary, as a means to pull Honey from the shelter, but she had no space to take the senior herself, so they would need to find an adopter who could take her directly home. 

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Just days before Honey’s time was supposed to run out, all the pieces finally seemed to fall into place: a married couple from Santa Clarita who had no other pets saw Honey on social media and submitted an application to Golden Years Dog Sanctuary. A home check was conducted, and the night before Honey was scheduled to be euthanized, arrangements were made to pick her up on what otherwise would have been the last day of her life.

Honey with her adopter and Susan Friend-LeTourneur of Golden Years Dog Sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Stacie Contreras.

It was a tense night for Contreras, who noted that while she was able to sleep for what seemed like the first time in weeks, she knew she couldn’t fully relax until she saw Honey leave the shelter with her new family. 

On Feb. 27, a full 45 days since Honey first entered the shelter, an emotional Contreras watched as Honey’s new mom and dad led her on her “freedom walk” through the shelter gates.

“I was just overwhelmed. I was very teary-eyed,” Contreras said. “It was a really emotional day.” 

Since bringing Honey home, her new forever family has shared pictures and videos that have made every stressful moment of the last few months more than worth it to Contreras. 

“Honey is turning into a new dog again — you can see the difference,” Contreras said. “She’s calm, she’s relaxed, she doesn’t bark. She goes on walks with her mommy… She has a giant pillow and bed to lay in with blankets and toys, and she’s just happy having a place to be. They adore her.” 

To meet other adoptable animals in need of homes from the Castaic Animal Shelter, the community is invited to a special adoption event on Sunday, March 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rustic Burger House, located at 24025 Newhall Ranch Road in Santa Clarita.

For more information, call (661) 257-3191, stop by the shelter at 31044 North Charlie Canyon Road in Castaic, or click here.

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