A dog with a rough start in life has been in a local shelter for almost 600 days, hoping someone would give him a forever home. 

Now, Chester finally gets adopted to a family he can call his own and he did it in style.

After 587 days living in a kennel, Chester the pit bull left the Euclid Animal Shelter Monday morning to cheers and tears.

It has been a long and tough road for Chester throughout his life, but he now has a new “leash” on life.

“Chester was completely skin and bones, the dog couldn’t even lay down. He had his paw stuck in a prong collar and he was a mess. He had to be carried out after a little bit because he could not stand,” said Kyrie Brickman, kennel manager for the shelter.

Back in August of 2022, Chester, who was chained to a window, and three other dogs were found in an empty house, where they had been for over a week.

“He absolutely was so relieved to see people and to be honest, I don’t know how much longer he would have lasted,” Brickman said.

For about 10 months, shelter workers worked around the clock to bring him to good health.

But after a year and a half, no one was interested in adopting him until a special woman came along. Now, Chester was on the way to a forever home and in a limousine, donated by Lake Erie Limo.

Within minutes, Chester, about 4 or 5 years old, pulled up to his new home and family in North Royalton like a rockstar.

“Oh my goodness, did you ride in a limo to get here? Did you ride all the way in a limo,” said Chester’s new owner.

Lauren Reitsman instantly fell in love with him when a friend sent her an online post of Chester.

“He has all these people around him and he’s just bopping around just to see who he can get love from, so I think I won the lottery,” Reitsman said.

Chester is living the life of a happy dog who plays with toys, gets belly rubs and lots of doggie kisses.

Shelter workers recommended for Chester a home without other dogs or small children and someone who understands his past.

“I think adoption is so important, especially when an animal, now I’m getting emotional, an animal has had a rough start in life because they deserve it even more,” said Reitsman.

Chester’s name will remain the same, sort of.

“His government name, if you will, is going to be Chester William Reitsman the First, of Royalton,” she said as people in the home laughed.

Reitsman plans to make Chester meatballs, his favorite meal.

The other dogs discovered in the vacant house with Chester have been adopted as well.

Source: FOX 8