Only Dog Left at El Cajon's Animal Shelter Gets Returned by Prospective Owner

It was, sadly, a false alarm on Wednesday for the lone dog at El Cajon's animal shelter, when a would-be owner returned the pup to the shelter hours later.

The dachshund-chihuahua mix was the only animal left at the shelter after Saturday’s Clear the Shelters event found new homes for hundreds of animals across San Diego County.

Opie, an 8-year-old dog that can’t live with other dogs or children, was left behind. His story captured the hearts of hundreds of NBC 7 viewers on social media.

Shelter staffers said Wednesday that a man from Poway adopted the pup at about 1 p.m.

At 4:30 p.m., shelter staffers told NBC 7 that the prospective owner had brought Opie home and then decided to return him to the shelter later that afternoon.

The man did not give a reason for returning Opie, staffers said.

Since Monday, the shelter fielded dozens of phone calls from people interesting in adopting Opie. But because of the dog’s living limitations, he has yet to find a home.

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