Meet Jane – a 6-year-old border collie mix whose life has been tough from the very beginning. Born as a stray in 2017, she was rescued alongside her mom and siblings by the Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana (HSNWLA) just a few hours after her birth.

Jane received a ton of love and care from the HSNWLA staff, as well as her doting parents, and started growing stronger each day. After a few months at the rescue, she was ready to be adopted.

“Jane was initially adopted as a puppy in May of 2017,” Sarrah Walton, a longstanding volunteer at HSNWLA, told The Dodo. “Her family loved her very much.”

Jane’s new family welcomed the little puppy into their home, excited to spend forever with her. Yet, over time, they learned that Jane wasn’t as comfortable as they’d anticipated she would be.

“Unfortunately, Jane just did not like the tiny dogs in the home,” Walton added. “They tried for years to work with her, but, finally, they did the right thing by sending Jane back to us at the beginning of 2022 to find a better appropriate home.”

After several years of attempting to get Jane accustomed to her new small siblings, her first adoptive family came to the tragic decision that their home wasn’t the ideal fit for Jane. They felt the right family was out there, so they went Jane back to HSNWLA in hopes of helping her find them.

At first, Jane’s new life at the shelter was a major shift.

“Jane had to adjust to being back in the rescue,” Walton added. “It is a significant departure from having lived in a cozy home.”

Jane’s pals at HSNWLA could tell that the beloved pooch was having a hard time, so they did everything they could to make her feel comfortable and loved again.

“We tried our absolute best to make sure she was loved on,” Walton added. “She went on vehicle rides, field trips to volunteers’ residences and sleepovers. But it simply looked like no one was interested in adopting her.”

While she waited for the right family to find her, Jane soaked up all the love she got from HSNWLA’s volunteers. She couldn’t get enough of their belly massages or nose kisses, but what she truly loved were the plush animals in their office.

Jane grew infatuated with every soft toy she came across and quickly started collecting them. Ultimately, she refused to go anywhere without them.

“Jane adores her babies,” Walton added. “She loves to cuddle up with them. Her sloth is her favorite!”

Jane ended up spending a full year at HSNWLA after being returned by her birth family, but she wasn’t alone. With the care she received from volunteers and the comfort of her beloved soft toys by her side, Jane knew she was loved.

A year after she was first returned, Jane was adopted by a loving couple called Sarah and Justin M. Her colleagues at HSNWLA sent Jane out with a loving, happy goodbye and made sure to bring two of her favorite things: her sloth toy and a sloth blanket crocheted by a volunteer.

Jane wagged her tail all the way to her new home, with her valued sloth items right at her side. Even though it took a long for them to find each other, Jane fit right in. Her new parents could see right away that Jane was always intended to be a member of their family.

“She’s a match made in heaven for us,” the pair told Walton. “We are so unbelievably lucky to have discovered her.”