Pitbull rescued from dogfighting ring was shelter's longest resident ever

Every shelter dog dreams of the day they’ll find a home of their own, but sadly it takes some longer than others to get adopted. For some dogs it takes months or even years to be adopted out.

Some even have the sad distinction of being their shelter’s longest-waiting dog. That was the case for a dog named Kimmy Gibbler, who was passed over for two years. But now, her long wait is finally over.

Kimmy, a 4-year-old pitbull, had a very rough start to life: she was seized from a dogfighting ring before ending up at the Humane Society of West Michigan.

“She was one of the most scarred dogs that they’ve ever seen,” foster coordinator Aurora Lesert Lewis told 13 On Your Side.

Despite her traumatic background, Kimmy was described as a “little angel” and “super resilient.”

“I don’t think humans have treated her the best in the past, but she’s so forgiving, and is willing to show love,” Zoey Goehring of the Humane Society of West Michigan told 11 Alive.

But while Kimmy was safe from her brutal dogfighting past, she still faced a struggle to find her forever home. For two years, no one was interested in adopting Kimmy, making her the shelter’s longest resident ever.

Despite the dog’s sweet personality, her carers suspect that a lot of people couldn’t get passed her scarred face. “She might look scary to some people at first the way that her face looks,” Aurora said.

“They think she’s going to be bigger than she is,” Jordan Good, Kimmy’s foster, told 13 On Your Side. “They think she’s going to be tougher or meaner, because maybe she looks like that. But when they meet her in person, they realize that she’s a real big sweetheart.”

But the shelter didn’t give up — and after more than two years, they finally got the break they had been waiting for.

Jay Sherwood and his wife Carol recently lost their dog Molly, according to 11 Alive. They were grieving and didn’t intend to get another dog — until they heard about Kimmy. “She’s been there two years, why? No dog deserves that,” Jay told the outlet.

The couple adopted Kimmy, and the dog has won the hearts of her new family: Carol says she “came in like a tornado” and “hasn’t slowed down since.”

She also believes it was fate that brought them together: “I believe in destiny. I feel like there were just too many coincidences that all came together,” she told 11 Alive. “I think she was meant to be here.”