Toro arrived at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter last October after he was found chained to a fence at an abandoned house. His rescuers suspected that he’d probably lived outside his entire life, and knew that it might take him a little while to warm up to his new surroundings.

“When he first came in, he was very nervous and shut down,” Melissa Fogarty, kennel and placement supervisor at Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter, told The Dodo. “He’s become more comfortable with people he’s used to, but is still a bit nervous in the shelter setting.”

Despite his fears, it was clear that Toro had a lot of love to give — and before long, he showed his rescuers exactly how much by starting to give them hugs.

“I was probably one of the first people to take him out for an actual socialized walk when he came in,” Fogarty said. “The hugging happened probably within 15 minutes of having him out loose in our side play yard. He just kind of crawled up to me, climbed on my lap, and pressed himself against my chest … from there it grew and now he hugs all his friends here.”

Even though the shelter still makes him a little nervous, Toro’s so grateful to be someplace where he’s safe and loved, and reminds everyone of that every chance he gets.

“Every time he comes out of the kennel, his first reaction is to hug the person walking him, and anyone, really, he comes in contact with,” Fogarty said.

Toro was adopted in January, but was unfortunately returned after a week and a half because it wasn’t a good fit. He’s still looking for the perfect forever home, where he can give hugs to his family every day to show them how much he loves them.

Toro is looking for an adult-only home with a family who can give him lots of structure and continue with his training. He’ll need to be crate-trained and taught the basic house rules, and would also do best as the only pet in his new home.

After almost a year of waiting, Toro is more than ready to find his perfect match, and it’s hard for his rescuers to understand why such a loveable dog who adores giving hugs hasn’t been chosen yet.

“I honestly think he hasn’t been adopted because he’s a middle-aged pit mix living in a high-intake municipal shelter,” Fogarty said. “He gets lost in this sea of dogs that don’t show well in their kennels.”

Toro has so much love — and so many hugs — to give, and hopefully his forever family will find him very soon.