German Shepherd Escapes Shelter Trying to Find Owner Who Lost His Home

A Southern California man who lost his home also lost something very precious to him: his 3-year-old German Shepherd, Ginger. He had to give up his beloved dog since he could no longer afford to care for her.

The heartbroken man left Ginger at the Apple Valley Animal Shelter on Sept. 17. But Ginger missed him so much that after the shelter closed that day, she managed to escape — by jumping out of her kennel and figuring out how to open three doors with her paws.

After Ginger set off the doors’ security alarms, shelter staff was notified that someone was moving through the shelter “at a high rate of speed.” When the staff checked surveillance videos, they were surprised to see the “intruder” was actually escapee Ginger.

“She had to go through three doors and one of them wasn’t the push-bar kind. It was a handle,” Gina Whiteside, director of animal services for the shelter, told the San Bernardino Sun.

‘On Her Way to Her Old Home’

Ginger was found about 3 miles from the shelter a few days later. “We think she was on her way to her old home,” Whiteside told the Sun.

Back at the shelter, Gina was put in a more secure kennel. The shelter hopes “she will be adopted preferably by someone who knows this breed,” a spokeswoman told FOX 11.

“Ginger is a smart, resourceful dog,” the Apple Valley Animal Shelter wrote on its Facebook page Sept. 23. “She needs an experienced owner and a job that puts her greatness to use.”

I do hope Ginger finds a home — but since she obviously loves her dog dad so much, it would also be nice if she could be fostered until he’s able to get a new place to live, and I hope that happens very soon.

For information about Ginger and other pets available for adoption, call the Apple Valley Animal Shelter at 760-240-7000, ext. 7555, or email avasrescues@applevalley.org.

Photo via Facebook