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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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A shelter dog spent 397 days waiting for a home without receiving a single adoption application—until a viral Christmas video helped change his fate.
Finn, who was housed at the Benton Franklin Humane Society in Washington, became an unexpected internet star after appearing in a heartwarming video showing him choosing his own Christmas present. The clip was shared by dog rescue volunteer Julie Saraceno (@jsaraceno), who runs an annual holiday tradition for the shelter dogs.
Saraceno explained that the shelter runs a yearly holiday tradition in which dogs are allowed to pick out their own toys, using donations gathered through Amazon wish lists.
"It was especially adorable picking out his toy, and his video got millions of views. His future family even saw the video and came to adopt him!" Saraceno told Newsweek.
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Finn, who had been housed at the Benton Franklin Humane Society for 397 days without a single adoption application, was one of the long-term dogs included in the initiative. When he picked out his present on camera, the video quickly went viral, racking up hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram.
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The video shows Finn carefully inspecting a circle of soft toys and balls laid out on the floor. After a thoughtful back-and-forth between a reindeer plushie and a green plushie, which appears to be a frog, Finn ultimately settles on the green frog plushie.
Saraceno explained that every holiday season, she creates Amazon wish lists to collect donations for the shelter dogs, with the goal of making sure each one still feels special while waiting for a forever home. She said she puts together one general list, as well as individual lists for long-term residents like Finn. Through the initiative, Finn received toys, a collar, a bed, and treats.
The video struck a chord with Instagram users, many of whom flooded the comments with well-wishes and hopes that Finn would soon be adopted.
"Oh how sweet is Finn! He got a home right?" shared one user.
"He’s perfect!! Aww someone amazing give him the best home!" said another dog lover.
"I remember him. I wanted to meet him soo bad, but my dog at home wasn’t gonna allow it. I’m so glad he got his well deserved happily ever after," shared Kat.
"So so so cute!! He took his time to make sure he’d love it. I pray someone can give him that exact same patience soon," shared another user.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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