Senior Dog Looking for New Home After Owner Dies: ‘She Was Left Alone in a House That No Longer Felt Like Home’

An 11-year-old dog in Austin, Texas, has been returned to an animal shelter after her owner died.

The dog, whose name is Lori, was initially adopted from Austin Pets Alive (APA) in 2015, according to shelter representative Luis Sanchez in a statement to PEOPLE. Lori’s adopter eventually married and could not take her along due to events outside her control, but the pup was rehomed to the owner’s mother’s house, where she continued to receive love and care.

However, Lori’s world was upended in October when her caretaker died.

"Suddenly, she was left alone in a house that no longer felt like home," Sanchez shared of the dog, who was returned to APA on Dec. 22 after her family’s home was sold and her temporary caretaker could no longer meet her basic needs.

Sanchez noted that Lori — who is described as “kind and gentle” — quickly captured the hearts of shelter staff and volunteers, who have been spotted crying outside her kennel door.

The shelter shared that Lori was placed in a temporary foster home on Saturday, Dec. 28, and she will remain there until Saturday, Jan. 4th, at which point she will be returned to the APA facility.

Sanchez told PEOPLE that Lori has a “few interested adopters,” though the nonprofit will continue to ensure that her physical and emotional needs are met in the meantime.

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APA. which relies on community support, was founded in 1997 and has since worked toward making Austin one of the largest no-kill cities in the world. The city has a mandated live release rate of 95%, meaning that only 5% of animals are euthanized, according to austintexas.gov.

If you would like to donate to help Lori and other pets like her in need of a second chance, you can donate to APA here.