Editor’s Note: Since this story was printed, Thor was returned to the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter. He is once again looking for his forever home.

There were happy “tails” at the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter Friday afternoon when the shelter’s longest resident was adopted into his new forever home.

After 255 days, Thor, a 2-year-old beagle mix, got his happily-ever-after and was adopted by David Baxter of Kingsport.

Thor first came to the shelter on July 30 and has been there ever since, making him the shelter’s longest permanent resident ever.

Baxter decided to take Thor home to join his wife, two kids and a cat after seeing the dog on the shelter’s Facebook page.

“I saw him first on Petfinder, and then I read about him on Facebook,” Baxter said. “The picture on the Internet did not do him justice. When I met him, I knew he was the dog for us.”

The Baxter family had previously had a collie, but the dog did not like the children.

The pet was given to a collie rescue to find a new home where it would be more comfortable, Baxter said. After a time, the family started to search for their next four-legged friend.

A visit to the shelter to get to know Thor further confirmed to Baxter the dog was the right choice.

“I liked him a lot,” he said. “He seemed really smart, and he is playful. He is a pretty dog too, and he likes to run.”

On Friday, Baxter came to the shelter to take Thor home and got in some playtime in the shelter’s fenced-in run. He brought Thor his first toy for his new home, a stuffed orange monkey.

“I think he likes it,” Baxter said, watching Thor run around the yard with the monkey dangling from his mouth.

Thor will keep his name, and will be given time to acclimate to his new home before facing any other challenges, like bathtime. Once Thor is ready, he will get the chance to go to the park for runs with Baxter and to play with other dogs.

Shelter Manager April Jones was pleased to see Thor leave the shelter and move into a home all of his own.

“This is definitely a happy day,” Jones said. “There is nothing sad about today at all. We would love to see all of the animals adopted in much less than 255 days.”

Baxter was able to adopt Thor for free using a program called Vets Adopt Pets. Baxter, a military veteran, applied online to have the program pay for Thor’s adoption fees. The ECCAS is only one of three shelters in the state that work with the program. The others are located in Cleveland and Franklin.

“It is a great program,” Jones said. “There is no cost to the shelter, and all the veteran has to do is fill out an application. It is a great avenue for us to adopt more pets.”

When asked for his take on the whole situation, Thor simply wagged his tail as he accepted a belly-rub from his new owner.