'Chester' gets limo ride out of animal shelter after nearly 600 days waiting for adoption

It took nearly 600 days for a pit bull mix named "Chester" to find his forever home, but on Monday the dog rode out of an Ohio shelter in style with a "little extra pizzazz."

Chester left the Euclid Animal Shelter in a limousine surrounded by supporters and friends, Kyrie Brickman, the shelter's kennel manager, told USA TODAY.

"Chester definitely stole the hearts of everybody," Brickman said. "There's so many dogs like Chester out there that don't end up getting the attention or the send-off... I think stories like Chester's, they're just little things you can have to hold on to. They're little beacons of hope."

Chester came to the Euclid Animal Shelter Aug. 10, 2022, so it took him 587 days to be adopted, according to Brickman.

Brickman called the moment Chester left the shelter "absolutely, completely bittersweet" because she and the staff grew "such a bond" with the 5-year-old dog.

"Everybody has over the time that he was here, but there is nothing more beautiful and more heartwarming than to see this really deserving dog get a home that is better than anything we could have ever expected," Brickman said.

Lauren Reitsman, Chester's new "dog mama," told USA TODAY she "always likes to root for underdogs," so seeing Chester's story tugged on her heartstrings.

Chester was found chained up in an abandoned home, Euclid Animal Shelter says

Chester was found by Euclid police's animal control officers who received a call about dogs left in an abandoned home, Brickman said.

"The house was absolutely disgusting," the kennel manager said. "It was full of feces, dirt (and) clothes. It kind of looked like a little horror story to be honest."

When animal control found Chester, they noticed his paw was caught in a prong collar with a chain so short that the dog couldn't even lie down, according to Brickman.

"(Chester) was there for at least a week, that we know of," she said. "It was likely a little bit longer."

Once freed, Chester took a couple of steps and then collapsed due to him being so malnourished, Brickman said. Animal control had to carry him out of the home, she added.

Chester was heartworm positive, he had mange and was "definitely emaciated," Brickman said. Chester weighed 25 pounds at the time, but a dog his size should have been at least 60 pounds, she said.

'He kind of completes my life,' new ownersays about adopting Chester

Chester is Reitsman's first dog, and after closing on a new home Feb. 22, she's now sharing her king-sized bed with a four-legged prince.

"I woke up on the very edge of the bed," Reitsman said about waking up with Chester on Tuesday morning. " But that was OK because he slept really well last night."

Growing up, Reitsman lived in a home that didn't allow her to have a dog but this didn't stop her from being an "animal lover." She bought a now-deceased cat when she turned 18, but currently has a chicken coop and five rescue guinea pigs.

Chester came into the picture when Reitsman's friend tagged her in a video on Facebook showing the pit bull mix's story. The Stand Up For Pits Foundation posted the video as a part of their "Hope" campaign, Brickman said.

Reitsman said seeing Chester having a "rough start" and "basically on the brink of death" made her consider adopting him. Then, when she saw Chester's face, she "fell in love."

"He's got that big smile and those big floppy ears," she said. "He's just got the greatest disposition."

Chester's "warm personality" and mild temperament make it easy to be his mom, according to Reitsman.

"I just feel like he kind of completes my life," she said.

Chester enjoyed his first night at Reitsman's home eating meatballs, taking naps and snoring and farting peacefully on the couch, his new mom said.

'They're just big babies,' Reitsman says about destigmatizing pit bull dog breeds

While most comments online about Chester's adoption have been positive, Reitsman said some negative ones also popped up.

"There's a negative thing surrounding pit bulls, the breed itself," she said. "I think people need more awareness for pit bulls."

Reitsman said all Chester does is give the best "kisses and smooches."

"I think they're just big babies," she said.

Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com