{"id":740275,"date":"2026-04-20T06:13:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/740275\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T06:13:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:13:20","slug":"heartbreak-as-three-legged-dog-pixel-returned-to-shelter-after-just-one-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/740275\/","title":{"rendered":"Heartbreak as three-legged dog Pixel returned to shelter after just one night"},"content":{"rendered":"

RSPCA WA is appealing to the public to make informed adoption decisions when taking on a pet after a three-legged dog was returned to them just one night after adoption, following more than four months in care.<\/p>\n

Pixel, a brindle mixed breed, came into the RSPCA\u2019s care after being hit by a car in Balcatta, with his owner making the difficult decision to surrender him as they were unable to afford the veterinary care required for his injuries.<\/p>\n

Despite extensive efforts by vet staff to save his injured leg, Pixel\u2019s leg had to be amputated as the damage was too severe.<\/p>\n

He recovered well and spent 145 days in care patiently waiting for a new home.<\/p>\n

The wait finally seemed over after a family adopted him last week from the Malaga shelter, having spent time getting to know him, including multiple visits and discussions with staff about his care and three-legged mobility.<\/p>\n

However, according to the RSPCA, despite being fully recovered and pain-free, he was returned the following day due to concerns that his three-legged status was \u201ccruel\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"PixelCamera IconPixel is searching for a new home after being returned to RSPCA WA just one day after adoption Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n

RSPCA WA shelter manager Emily Farrell said that while every effort is made to assist adopters, some animals are returned for reasons unrelated to their behaviour, health, or suitability.<\/p>\n

Recent examples include a dog surrendered because his fur didn\u2019t match the family\u2019s curtains, a cat returned for being awake at night and sleeping during the day, and a dog returned for being \u201ctoo big\u201d, despite multiple meet-and-greets.<\/p>\n

Pixel, who is celebrating his first birthday this week, is described as a gentle, resilient dog who is slowly building confidence and would benefit from a home with older children and a friendly, confident dog to help show him the ropes in the household.<\/p>\n

\"RSPCACamera IconRSPCA WA shelter Manager Emily Smith. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n

Ms Farrell said she is hopeful he will find the right home soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile people\u2019s circumstances and feelings can change, it is often the animals who bear the impact,\u201d Ms Farrell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPixel did everything right – he was settling in, he was calm, he was starting to feel safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe waited 145 days for a home – I just hope he doesn\u2019t have to wait that long again.\u201d<\/p>\n

His profile can be found at rspcawa.org.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RSPCA WA is appealing to the public to make informed adoption decisions when taking on a pet after…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":740276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2],"tags":[4740,1165,50,17354,14737,7926,77883,8632,232795],"class_list":["post-740275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-australia","tag-lifestyle","tag-news","tag-north","tag-perth","tag-pets","tag-stirling","tag-wa-news","tag-wanneroo"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116435563905438026","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/740276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}