Jill the Texas Shelter Dog Finds Forever Home After 10-Year Wait: She 'Got Her Independence!'

A beautiful American pit bull mix has found her forever home after ten years!

According to KFDX-TV, the shelter dog, named Jill, was adopted on July 4 after spending most of her life at the Clay County Animal Shelter in Henrietta, Texas. Jill first arrived at the shelter ten years ago as a stray, heartworm-positive, one-year-old dog.

Bonnie Stone, who manages Clay County Animal Shelter, told KFDX-TV, "We've had several applications put in on Jill before, but because she is a pit, a lot of landlords wouldn't allow them to have her. Since there was trouble finding her a family, and this is a no-kill shelter, it became her home and the workers became her family."

"Even when we just get them in, we grow with them, and they're family members now," Stone added about Jill's experience at the shelter before being placed in a loving home.

In early July, animal lover Kellie Blassingame began her search to adopt an older dog and immediately fell for Jill. After she adopted Jill, Blassingame shared the pit bull mix's story on social media to show that senior dogs deserve the same love and care as all other canines searching for forever homes.

"All the other dogs were very sweet [Jill] just naturally gravitated towards me. I just knew that a lot of time, senior dogs don't get adopted very often, so that was one of the main reasons I wanted to adopt an older dog," Blassingame told KFDX-TV about meeting Jill.

Blassingame's new family member is now lovingly called Jill Jellybean.

Stone is ecstatic for Jill to start the next chapter of her life.

"My thing is she got adopted July 4, Independence Day. Jill got her Independence!" the shelter manager said.