A pit bull in Orange County, California, gets adopted after spending 216 days at an animal shelter, thanks to a nice guy who read about his tragic story in the local newspaper.

A 7-year-old pit bull called Tonka got her permanent home last month after spending a considerable amount of time at Orange County Animal Services (OCAS). Despite being a loving and active dog, Tonka was just five days away from breaking the previous record for longest stay in a shelter.

Fortunately, South Daytona resident Wilfredo Vega learned about the dog’s plight and made the decision to adopt him.

Tonka’s surprise adoption was publicized by shelter staff on November 21 in a Facebook post that included a picture of the pet with its new home.

On Facebook, Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) posted:

“We are confident that this youngster will never again have to leave the warmth of his home after spending 216 days in a shelter this year.”

Tonka was abandoned by his owner in the backyard of his previous home, and he ended up at the animal shelter in April. OCAS described how they discovered Tonka and their primary motivation for abandoning him in a news statement.

When the former owner was contacted by the shelter, he said that he had to relocate and was having trouble finding a place for her. The previous tutor had agreed to take the cute pit bull to the animal shelter so that they could take care of finding him a family, and it came to that.

Tonka was adopted twice during his seven-month stint at the shelter, but both times he was given back.

Shelter Services Manager Diane Summers stated in the press release:

“Tonka is a charming youngster who is unquestionably able to captivate women. He has demonstrated a need to be the only dog in the home, which severely reduces the number of potential adopters, therefore we have struggled to locate a long-term match for him.