When a bouncy, bright-eyed dog named McStuffins arrived at Border Tails Rescue in Northbrook, Illinois, everyone instantly fell for her. With her mismatched eyes and goofy grin (thanks to her heterochromia), she stood out from the moment she wagged her way through the door.
Her friendly energy and one-of-a-kind look quickly caught someone’s attention, and within days, McStuffins was adopted. The shelter team celebrated, believing this was the happy ending she deserved.
But just a few months later, the cheerful pup was back.
Her adopter returned her, explaining that McStuffins’ high energy had been too much to handle. For McStuffins — who loved everyone she met — it was a heartbreaking setback.
Still, the staff and volunteers refused to give up on her. Among her biggest supporters were Eric Noxon and Joey Masloski, two content creators who spotlight overlooked rescue dogs on TikTok. From the moment they met McStuffins, they were smitten.
“It breaks my heart because she’s so sweet,” Noxon said in one of their videos. “She just has a bundle of energy, and I think that’s the only thing holding her back.”
Every few weeks, Noxon and Masloski visited McStuffins, taking her for long runs and play sessions. The more time they spent together, the more they saw how loving and eager to please she was — she just needed the right person to understand her.
One day, when they arrived for a visit, McStuffins wasn’t there. Someone had adopted her again! The pair celebrated, hoping this time it would finally stick.
But after just one day, McStuffins was returned once more.
“The good news is McStuffins probably just thought it was a sleepover,” a Border Tails volunteer said gently in a TikTok update.
Then, only days later, McStuffins’ heart was broken yet again. Another adopter applied for her — but never showed up to meet her.
Confined to her kennel with so much pent-up energy and confusion, McStuffins began to struggle.
“It shows you what happens when they sit in the shelter,” a volunteer said sadly. “McStuffins … she’s getting worse and worse.”
Still, Noxon and Masloski remain hopeful. They know McStuffins isn’t a “difficult” dog — she just needs a home where she’s the only pet and where her enthusiasm for life is matched by people who can give her the exercise, love, and structure she craves.
“Thank you to McStuffins’ previous adopter for giving her a shot,” Noxon said. “Without you, we wouldn’t have learned what we now know she needs.”
McStuffins may have faced disappointment after disappointment, but her story isn’t over yet. Somewhere out there is a family who will see her not as too much — but as just right.
If you’d like to meet McStuffins or learn more about adopting her, visit Border Tails Rescue’s website.
