Lexi Ziccardi walked back into the Buffalo shelter on Tuesday for the dog she thought she had lost. Days earlier, another family had planned to adopt Lloyd, a 1-year-old pit bull mix. Then came an unexpected reversal and a public search that reached Ziccardi within six minutes.
Lloyd had arrived at the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter in Buffalo, New York, as a stray on Aug. 20. Ziccardi, who had lost her previous dog in November, was beginning to look for another companion when Lloyd caught her attention during a Thursday shelter visit.
She returned the next day to consider bringing him home. While she was there, another family met Lloyd and told Ziccardi they intended to adopt him. Believing his future had been settled, she left without providing the shelter with her contact information.
But the adoption did not go forward. When the other family changed its mind, shelter staff wanted to reconnect with the woman who had already shown an interest in Lloyd. Without her details, they made a public appeal.
Ziccardi saw it within six minutes and contacted the shelter immediately. By Tuesday, she was back to formally adopt Lloyd.
I keep telling my family that he’s very ‘me’. He’s just, he’s very sweet. I just feel very linked with him, Ziccardi said after returning for him.
How Buffalo’s Adoption Process Works
Lloyd’s case hinged on a missing piece of information: Shelter staff knew an interested adopter had walked away, but they had no direct way to reach her. Buffalo’s adoption guidance now gives prospective adopters a clear way to identify an animal they are considering. People may apply online or in person and name a specific pet on the application.
The process involves more than choosing a dog during a single visit. Renters are asked to provide landlord contact information so pet policies can be verified. People who already have pets should authorize their veterinarian to release records, while current dog owners must bring their dogs to the shelter for a meet and greet. Families are also encouraged to bring children and other household members to meet a potential pet.
Those steps are intended to help shelter staff and adopters assess a match before the animal goes home. Buffalo’s adoption package includes age-appropriate vaccinations, deworming, a microchip, an initial veterinary exam at a participating clinic and, for dog adopters, a training credit. Fees vary, and prospective adopters are advised to contact the shelter for current amounts.
At the time Ziccardi adopted Lloyd, he was scheduled to be neutered before moving into her home in the coming days. The local process states that adopted animals are generally scheduled for spay or neuter surgery within one or two business days, with adopters collecting them afterward. No later official update confirming Lloyd’s surgery or move home was available.
Sterilization can affect when a shelter animal leaves for an adoptive home. Best Friends Animal Society describes spay and neuter as an important sheltering tool, while also noting that limited access to veterinary services can slow placements when organizations wait for surgery before releasing animals.
That delay does not diminish what Ziccardi had already secured: Lloyd was no longer the dog she believed another family would take. He was the dog whose adoption had found its way back to her.
The larger need remains. The ASPCA reports that dogs particularly larger dogs are staying in shelters longer than they did five years ago, contributing to capacity pressure across the country. That national picture is not a measure of Buffalo’s current population, but it helps explain why one successful match can matter beyond a single kennel. Ziccardi said she hoped the attention around Lloyd would draw more people toward the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter and its other adoptable animals.
For her, the return carried the weight of the dog she had lost and the uncertainty of deciding when to begin again. I was looking for a sign to get a new one, and he found his way back to me, she said.
After two visits, one departure and a six-minute turn in fortune, Lloyd’s path led quietly back to the person who had already chosen him.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
