WATCH – Dog Adopted After 628 Days in Shelter: ‘He Needed Someone to Give Him a Chance’

A shepherd pitbull mix that spent over 600 days living at a shelter in Scottsdale, Arizona, is now settling into his forever home.

The three-year-old dog came into the care of Foothills Animal Rescue (FAR) on April 15, 2019, azfamily.com reported Sunday.

“Despite spending nearly two years in a shelter, workers described Sarge as ‘healthy, upbeat and happy.’ All he needed was a new, loving family to give him a chance and take him in,” the outlet said.

Shelter workers had hoped he would be adopted by Christmas, but when that did not happen, they decorated his “doggie suite” with a stocking, an advent calendar stuffed with treats, and a sign that read “Santa Stop Here.”

However, his big day finally came Saturday when the family who fostered Sarge decided to make him their own.

“That’s right! After 628 days at Foothills, our boy Sarge is officially getting adopted TODAY,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post:

FAR also shared video footage of Sarge’s going away party where he ate special dog cupcakes and was presented with a basket of gifts.

Thanks to a little help from his family and others, Sarge tore into the wrapped squeaky toys and pranced around greeting partygoers before his big sendoff:

“He’s not a dog park dog, and he’s not great with every single dog,” a spokesperson with the rescue explained. “So he had a couple things that were going against him, but as you can see, he’s an amazing dog — he just needed someone to give him a chance.”

After his going away party, Facebook users wished Sarge well and praised the volunteers for taking care of him for such a long time.

“Good luck Sarge. A wonderful rescue full of love,” one person commented.

“All those amazing volunteers there are a testament to how loved this pup is! I have tears. Sooooo great!” another commented.