Shelter Dog 'Sad and Worried' After Being Adopted and Returned Within Week

A dog is struggling after being returned to a shelter just a week after she was adopted.

All that Kelly the dog has ever known in her life is rejection. The four-year-old pup arrived at the Humane Society Broward County in Florida having been found wandering the streets, starved and neglected.

Kelly's previous owner used her for puppies and then, once she was deemed no longer of any use, discarded her to fend for herself.

Despite all of this, Susan Leonti from the Humane Society Broward County told Newsweek the dog that arrived at the shelter couldn't have been more loving.

"Kelly is an absolute love bug and enjoys being with people and getting affection," she said. "She is goofy and likes to play with chew toys and go for walks."

Up until recently, they thought Kelly had found a family that would love her back.

"We posted a video for Kelly a few weeks back and a couple who saw this video came in to adopt her the next day," Leonti said. "This was their first dog together and they told us it was love at first sight with Kelly."

But, for reasons entirely beyond the couple's control, it was not meant to be. "Sadly, after they got her home they realized that one of the adopters was actually allergic to dogs and so they brought Kelly back to our shelter within the week," Leonti said.

Kelly has never been shy about letting her true feelings be known.

"Kelly is a very expressive dog, so it is easy to see when she is either happy or upset just by looking at her face," Leonti said. "On her adoption day, Kelly's whole face lit up with joy and she ran from person to person saying goodbye to our staff."

So it's been clear for everyone at the shelter to see that she's struggling with being back in the kennel and the busy atmosphere of an animal rescue.

"Since being returned, Kelly has had such a sad and worried look on her face," Leonti said. "When we walk by her kennel, she cries out to us and has a look of desperation in her eyes. It is simply heartbreaking to see."

Footage posted online by the shelter shows the depth of Kelly's feelings; she's simply heartbroken at being rejected all over again.

It's more than that though. In 2006, a study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior found shelter dogs had three times the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, in their system during their first three days there than those living in a standard household.

You can only imagine the stress Kelly must have felt at seemingly escaping that environment only to be brought back down to earth a few days later when she returned.

Despite her sad demeanor, Leonti remains confident Kelly can find that forever home she so desperately deserves—they just have to make sure it's the right one.

"Kelly would do best with a family that want a dog that is affectionate and a bit of a couch-potato," she said. "She is loving, silly and wants very much to be with you. Kelly gets along with some other dogs, but not all, so might do best as an only pet."

All Kelly the dog has ever known in her life is rejection—but it's not too late for that to change.