A shelter dog who thought he had finally found his forever home has been left "sad and confused" after being returned to the center.

Rascal the dog has spent the past two years without a home to call his own. He was one of 32 dogs abandoned by an Orange County rescue at a boarding facility in Rowland Heights, California. With options limited, the owner of the facility was preparing to send Rascal and the other dogs to a local shelter, where he would have faced an uncertain fate.

However, Rascal was spared that when Samantha Redline established Kennel Eviction Rescue (KER), a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue and care of neglected animals. Since then, Redline and everyone at KER has been working to get Rascal and the other dogs adopted. In the case of Rascal, they thought they had succeeded.

A woman took a shine to him after a series of meet-and-greets and even had a home introduction with a trainer, while they were even advised on how to establish a schedule for their new four-legged roommate. "Everything seemed to be going good at first, she was working a crate training schedule and had even bought him a flirt pole to get some energy out as well," Redline told Newsweek.

Rascal went hiking with his new friend, and it seemed like he was about to get the happy ending his story so richly deserved. But, despite another positive follow-up with a trainer a week later, KER received a message from Rascal's adopter who said they simply did not have the time for him.

Sadly, these things can happen from time to time, and the truth is that if Rascal's new owner felt she was not up to the job of caring for him, she did the right thing in contacting the shelter. That doesn't mean it wasn't a shock for all involved.

"It all surprised us because Rascal settles better than any of our other dogs and likes to sit with you," Redline said. "He can be really playful and likes to chase toys especially on the flirt pole but gets less interested in toys by themselves. He's a great hiking partner and walks really well. He makes a good companion in general."

But if there was a sense of shock among staff at the shelter, it was nothing compared to the way Rascal appeared to have been left feeling after returning to the shelter. The first few days in a shelter can be rough on a dog. A 2006 study from the journal Physiology and Behavior found dogs entering the shelter system had three times the levels of cortisol, the hormone linked to stress, in their bodies over their first three days there compared to canines living in a standard home.

Redline said Rascal has struggled since he returned. "He was really confused the first day and was pacing like he was waiting for someone to get him," she said. "We gave him burgers and he ate good, but he still seemed upset and has been barking, which isn't like him since he's pretty quiet in general."

In a video posted to the shelter's TikTok page, the rescue said that Rascal "doesn't understand it's not his fault" that he was returned and was "so sad and confused coming back." At this point, the shelter is seeking someone to either adopt or foster Rascal.

"Rascal needs a home preferably with no other animals or just caged animals like reptiles or bunnies. He does well with men and women but definitely needs someone with patience," Redline said. "He's 6 years old, which is a bit older, so he's not super active but definitely needs playtime and to be walked everyday."

Best suited to a family with older kids, Rascal has endured a life of rejection, but it is not too late for that to change.