MARION — A 12-year-old dog who spent half of her life at a shelter in Marion has finally found her forever family.
Sandi is a boxer-pitbull mix who has been at the Marion-Grant County shelter for the past 2,461 days.
Staff members at the Marion-Grant County Humane Society say they call Sandi the "boss" because she's been there longer than most of them.
"She runs the shelter," Board member Christy Bernardin said.
Sandi's new parents, Erin and Carry Rhodes, are taking her home on Friday so she can live out the rest of her doggy life being spoiled.
Bernardin says the couple are long-time supporters of the shelter who recently lost their family dog due to old age.
"Erin decided she couldn't get Sandi off of her mind because she's been there so long," Bernardin said. "They started coming in and doing visits with Sandi and they fell in love with her."
The shelter will be holding a special party to send Sandi off Friday afternoon. She'll have a red carpet, dog treats and balloons for her "freedom walk."
The Marion-Grant County Humane Society is a no-kill shelter that works off donations and their resale shop.
Bernardin says the shelter consists of two parts; an orphanage and an adoption center. The orphanage allows them to take in animals that would not be adoptable under normal circumstances, but still deserve a chance to live. Those animals will likely live out their lives in the shelter.
Although this happy story is coming out of the shelter, they are currently housing more than 70 dogs and 200 cats. That's way beyond the max they can house in the roughly 60 dog kennels and multiple cat cages they have on hand.
If you're thinking of getting a pet in the near future, you can visit the Marion-Grant County Humane Society at 505 S. Miller Avenue in Marion.
