It’s impossible to pass Speck’s kennel at the Bullock County Humane Society without stopping. The moment he sees someone coming, Speck pushes his little face through the metal bars and reaches out with his paw, as if he’s asking, "Please don’t leave without saying hi."
“All he wants is love from people,” said Desiray Miracle-Wilder, the shelter’s director. “He’ll stick out his little paw just to feel someone’s touch. And when you have to move on to finish cleaning, you can see how sad he gets.”
Speck has been living in a small kennel at the Alabama shelter for a year and a half, waiting patiently for someone to choose him. His face carries a few scars — hints of a rough life before he arrived — but you’d never know it from the way he acts. Speck is pure sweetness, full of trust.
“You could put anything else around him — another giant dog, a cat, but none of that matters to him,” Wilder said. “All he cares about is getting love from people.”
If you sit down near him, Speck will climb into your lap. If you offer your hand, he’ll gently hold it. Give him a belly scratch, and he’ll happily roll over without a second thought. He’s just that kind of dog.
One morning while cleaning the kennels, Wilder decided to film Speck’s adorable hand-holding. She posted the video on Facebook, hoping someone might fall in love with him. In just a few days, the video went viral, racking up over 96,000 views.
And it worked — Speck’s big moment caught the eye of Allie’s Hope For Paws Dog Rescue. They helped connect him with a new family who couldn’t wait to bring him home.
“He will be running on a 26-acre farm with Mike, his family and two fur brothers!” Wilder wrote on Facebook. “We’re so excited. Not only did Speck find his forever home because of that video, but a few other dogs got rescued too — and we even received some food donations!”
Now, Speck is just waiting for transport to meet his new family. He’s leaving behind some old shelter buddies still hoping for their happy ending. But Wilder is hopeful that Speck’s story will inspire more people to come by and find a new best friend waiting for them.