Love alone is not enough for a traumatized dog with multiple illnesses to be handed over to new owners. Other people who presumably loved Lexus as a puppy have already seriously let him down. The dog has been staying at the shelter since 2023.
– One of the things we cared about most after the difficult period the shelter for small animals in Przylasek went through was starting adoptions – says a volunteer. – And they really did get under way. In recent weeks, more dogs have gone to new homes, and I don’t think there is anything nicer than seeing an empty kennel after a dog has finally found its family. But responsible adoption does not mean giving away as many dogs as possible and having good statistics. It means ensuring that a dog goes to a home that is genuinely suitable for it and, hopefully, from which it will never return – the woman adds.
“We will fight for Lexus!”
The post by the married couple who sought to adopt the dog, published in a group for dog lovers, had more than 800 reactions, as well as the same number of shares and comments, after two days. Internet users mostly sympathize with the family, which cannot care for the dog it has grown so fond of, while many bitter words and accusations have also been directed at the shelter.
It is difficult to react otherwise to the post by the woman, who describes the situation from her perspective. She and her husband had been trying to adopt for a long time, walking the dog, caring for him and forming a bond. As they claim in the post, they are ready for all the difficulties and expenses associated with caring for an old, sick dog. In an update, the woman argues that the adoption was refused because they have a young child.
– We knew about the child from the beginning, and it was not the only reason for the refusal – explains the volunteer. – Other issues also arose during the process, which began to raise our doubts. One of them is very simple. The person formally applying to adopt Lexus is the wife (the post’s author – ed.), but in practice most conversations concerning the dog are held with her husband. To me, this is simply puzzling, because ultimately we are to sign an agreement and entrust the dog to a specific person, and we barely know that person. There was even a situation in which the husband came to take the dog for a walk but did not want to give his first and last name, explaining that he was not the one adopting Lexus, but his wife. His wife was waiting outside the shelter gate at the time. I am not claiming to know why this happened, and I do not intend to invent any stories around it. But it is difficult to expect us, in a responsible adoption process, simply to shrug and decide that it has no significance. The adoption process is not intended to make it harder for people to take dogs from the shelter. It is intended to clarify certain matters before the dog goes home, rather than after a problem arises and the dog returns to the shelter – the volunteer explains.
A traumatized dog is not a toy
Adopting a dog with a difficult history is a serious matter. This is precisely why the chairman of the Board of the “Kwisa” Association of Municipalities, responsible for animal welfare and the operation of the facility where Lexus is staying, emphasizes transparent procedures and the animal’s well-being.
– I was informed that the family wanting to adopt the dog did not listen to the staff or draw conclusions from the way the shelter works – says Szymon Surmacz. – I informed the man who wanted to adopt Lexus that he could take part in grooming the dog provided that a staff member was present. It seems to me that the gentleman did not want to meet that condition. When I started verifying the information personally, it turned out that communication between the adopting family, the staff and me was, let’s say, failing. The man gave the staff different information from what he received from me. In my view, if someone behaves this way before an adoption, it is a warning sign. Because what will happen if the dog actually, I don’t know, bites a child? Nothing like that will happen with professionals, people who understand the danger this dog poses. He is a wonderful dog, but also a traumatized animal, and this cannot be downplayed. That is the key issue in this situation – Surmacz adds.
There are other circumstances
The volunteer gives further reasons for the refusal.
– There are also other circumstances that influenced this decision, but for me this is where the boundary of what should be discussed publicly lies – says the volunteer. – We will not disclose private information about this family merely to win an online argument or prove that we had grounds for refusing the adoption. The fact that we do not want to make certain things public does not mean they do not exist – says the volunteer working at the shelter.
The family accuses the shelter of remaining silent and taking a long time to respond about the adoption.
– Addressing the accusation that the family waited a long time for the final decision, I will explain that some team members were on holiday at the time – explains the volunteer. – We did not want one person to make a quick decision about the adoption. We wanted to gather information, discuss everything thoroughly among ourselves and only then decide. Especially since we are talking about a decision concerning the next years of the dog’s life. I understand that this wait may have been frustrating for the family. Some things could have been handled better in terms of communication, and I have no problem saying so. We also need to learn from this. But I definitely prefer someone to accuse us of taking too long to make a decision than for us to give away a dog under time pressure or emotional pressure and wonder a few weeks later how to secure him again – the volunteer adds.
We Want Lexus to Find a Home, but Not at Any Cost
The volunteer disagrees with the claim that the shelter does not want Lexus to be adopted.
– We genuinely want him to find a home. Just as we want homes for all the other dogs. But we do not want to give dogs away at any cost. Refusing an adoption does not mean that someone is a bad person or a bad caregiver. You can love animals, have excellent conditions and still not be the right home for a specific dog. And I really do not see anything insulting in that. Lexus is not a prize to be “fought for.” He is a living animal. His well-being should be at the center of this entire discussion. We very much want to see Lexus outside the shelter. But we also want to feel that we have done everything to ensure that the next decision concerning his home is responsible.
In mid-July 2026, the shelter in Przylasek found itself in a very difficult situation. The previous employees practically stopped working overnight, leaving animals that someone had to care for. Volunteers then came to help. Not to stand on the sidelines and comment, but to provide real assistance. This involved feeding, cleaning, walking the dogs, getting to know them, helping with treatment and adoptions, and a whole host of things that simply cannot be seen from the outside.
– Today, volunteering is already active and regular – the volunteer says. – I do not want to take responsibility for everything that happened at the shelter previously, because neither I nor the current volunteers had any influence over it. We can take responsibility for what we are involved in now and for how we want things to look going forward. To me, success is not the moment when a dog leaves through the shelter gate and you can post a photo on social media saying that it “has a home.” Success is when that dog never comes back through that gate – the volunteer states.
Above All, Transparency
The head of the “Kwisa” municipalities’ board describes a similar situation from several months ago, in which an adopting family could not cope with a difficult dog despite hiring a behaviorist.
– They were afraid of the dog and saw that caring for him in that family, in that home, exceeded their capabilities – says Szymon Surmacz. – And this is an excellent example of why we are right to stand firmly by the position that the dog must remain at the shelter. It is not about whether the home is nice, because we have an official memo on that matter. However, all subsequent official memos concerning the behavior of the man who wants to adopt the dog, descriptions of his relationship with the dog and whether he listens to the dog—for the dog also sends certain signals—recommended refusing the adoption – Szymon Surmacz adds.
Surmacz emphasizes that, just as he cares about the animals’ welfare, he wants the shelter to function as well as possible.
– I am responsible for this institution and want it to properly fulfill its mission. That is what I stand by. When I took over the board, I decided that we would hire people and try to manage on our own. Since then, the public has had access to every invoice for every purchase. As a member of non-governmental organizations for years, I demanded this kind of transparency from local government. Finally, I introduced it myself – he adds.
Animals from Przylasek can join your family! schronisko.kwisa.pl/adopcje