09/14/2026
💔 WELL… DUCKIE IS BACK. 💔
Three days ago, we were celebrating what we truly believed was Duckie’s Happy Tails and her forever home.
This morning, Duckie was returned.
And while we work very hard to make the best possible match for every dog, sometimes even with all the conversations, questions, information and preparation in the world… it simply doesn’t work out.
But we need to talk about something important.
🐾 A RESCUE DOG NEEDS MORE THAN 36 HOURS. 🐾
Duckie went from the life she knew, to rescue, to a foster home where she finally learned the routine and began feeling safe… and then suddenly everything changed AGAIN.
New house.
New people.
New smells.
New sounds.
New expectations.
New routine.
And before Duckie even had time to figure out where the water bowl was, an entire family came over for dinner.
Duckie got excited. She got overstimulated. She became a little too enthusiastic. Even though the day after her adoption we received a text saying she was “perfect “.
And suddenly, Duckie was “too much.”
No.
Duckie is NOT too much.
Duckie is a happy, hilarious, affectionate 42-pound bulldog who had barely been given time to understand that this strange new place was supposed to be HOME.
We tell adopters this all the time: dogs need time to decompress.
Imagine standing comfortably in your own home when a spaceship suddenly scoops you up and drops you in the middle of a foreign country.
You don’t speak the language.
You don’t know the people.
You don’t know where anything is.
You don’t understand the rules.
And everyone around you expects you to immediately know exactly how you’re supposed to behave.
Now imagine that happening to you more than once.
That is essentially what we ask rescue dogs to do.
They don’t arrive in their new homes with an instruction manual and say, “Wonderful! I understand this is my forever family. I shall now behave accordingly.” 🙄
They need TIME.
Time to learn.
Time to trust.
Time to settle.
Time to understand the routine.
Time to realize that they are finally safe and that nobody is moving them again.
Adoption is a commitment. It isn’t Amazon Prime, and there is no 36-hour return policy because your new family member didn’t immediately fit perfectly into your life.
And yes… perhaps we’re a little salty today. 🤷♀️
Because these dogs deserve for us to be.
So, Duckie is officially back on the market. 💔
And this time, we are looking for the person who understands that forever means giving her the opportunity to actually BECOME FAMILY.
Duckie is funny, playful, completely house trained, loves her toys, loves car rides and absolutely ADORES her people. She is a total clown with a huge personality and an even bigger heart. ❤️
Her ideal home would be one where she can be the only dog and soak up ALL the attention, because Duckie can be, well… a bulldog. And she’s really great at bullying other dogs.
What she needs most is someone with patience, realistic expectations and commitment.
Someone who won’t expect perfection on Day 1.
Someone who will give her quiet time to decompress before introducing her to the entire neighborhood.
Someone who understands that a forever home takes longer than 36 hours to become HOME.
Duckie deserves that person.
And somewhere out there, we KNOW they exist.
So apparently, we’re asking you guys to help us find them… again. 😑😂
PLEASE SHARE DUCKIE. Share the heck out of her. Let’s get this girl in front of the person who will look at all 42 pounds of her ridiculous bulldog personality and say:
“You’re not too much. You’re exactly what I was looking for.” 👑❤️
Because at The Royall Zoo Rescue, we believe our dogs deserve the time, patience and commitment it takes to find the family that truly means forever.
👑 Where misfits become royalty. 👑
