A husky who has spent more than 450 days waiting and hoping for someone to adopt him from a California animal shelter has received a welcome surprise in the mail.

Ace first arrived at Sonoma County Animal Services back on May 26, 2022. His story was a heartbreaking one. Emma Diemert, shelter supervisor, told Newsweek: “Ace was brought in as a stray, but had a microchip.”

In many cases, the presence of a microchip would result in a speedy reunion with the canine’s original owner, but Ace was not so lucky. “The owner decided to surrender him,” Diermert said.

Since then, Ace has continued to suffer more than his fair share of rejection. People come to the shelter but, so far, no one has agreed to take this loveable husky home. It’s a situation that has left Diermert and the other staff at the shelter baffled.

“He’s energetic, vocal, and has a unique personality. He knows basic commands and when you ask him to sit, he will, but he will sometimes provide a small howl before he does it,” she said.

“Ace LOVES treats—he’s an expert at catching them in midair. He also really loves water, and you can almost always find him splashing around when he’s outside. From what we’ve seen, he does get along with other dogs. He loves to wrestle! Overall, he’s a very goofy and fun dog!”

Staff even put together a video comparing Ace on his first day in the shelter and on his 431st. The contrast was as noticeable as it was heartbreaking.

But while Ace may not have found a new forever home just yet, last month he did gain something valuable—a friend.

Sometimes it’s the small things that matter most. That’s definitely true when it comes to shelter dogs. A 2018 study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science found that just 15 minutes of interaction with a shelter dog provided a measurable boost to their overall wellbeing.

Ace got that much needed boost with the visit of a young boy to the shelter. “We made baseball cards for some of our dogs at the shelter (to promote their availability for adoption) and they included Ace,” Diermert said. “When a young boy was visiting his grandparents, he collected some of those cards.”

It may have only been a relatively brief visit, but the handsome husky evidently made an impression on the young child.

That same boy then wrote a letter to Ace just to say “hello” and included a special blue paper heart for his new canine friend. When it arrived, staff decided to surprise Ace with the special message.

In a video posted to TikTok, Ace can be seen reacting excitedly to the letter, which he gives a few careful sniffs as if trying to deduce who it might be from based purely on scent.

“Ace was very excited!” Diermert said. “He kept sniffing the letter and was very curious about it. We read him both letters and he let out a couple howls as we were reading. It was adorable!”

Since then they have written back to the young boy, sending him more baseball cards, stickers and a photo of Ace, so he can always have a memento of the furry friend he made that day.

Ace may still be watching and waiting for that one special someone to arrive but, at the very least now, it’s nice to know he has a friend looking out for him.

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