Lone Unadopted Dog at Shelter Becomes the Most Popular Pup in Town as Applications Pour In

The shelter had to close off applications for Eastwood, the 1-year-old Labrador, after 80 families applied to adopt the pup.

This special needs dog went from the only dog left unadopted to the most popular pup in the shelter overnight.  

Read: Shelter Bombarded With Requests to Adopt 2 Dozen Puppies Saved From Animal Hoarder

Eastwood, a 1-year-old golden Labrador, was the last dog standing at the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society in Harbor Springs after an enormous adoption event last weekend left many Michigan shelters empty.

The shelter shared his sad story on Facebook, and within hours, the post went viral and applications to adopt Eastwood quickly flooded in.

“I’ve been here for 18 years, and this is the most popular dog we’ve had," Deter Racine, the shelter’s executive director, told InsideEdition.com. "We’ve had over 500 phone calls just since yesterday about Eastwood, and they’re still coming in today."

Racine said they had to close applications after 80 families applied to adopt Eastwood, but she believed there would have been more inquires had they left applications open.

But, she said they already knew they found the perfect fit for Eastwood by the second application.

When Eastwood was found as a stray more than four months ago, rescuers determined the pup had problems with his eyes and his hips.

He spent the following weeks receiving treatment by a specialist and staying with a foster family, but the shelter knew Eastwood would be hard to adopt since he would require expensive surgery in the coming days.

Read: Picture-Perfect Pooches: Photographer Takes Images of Shelter Dogs to Help Them Find Homes

"The specialist didn’t recommend surgery now, but in the later days it could cost up to $4,000, and I think that really deterred people from taking him on,” Racine explained. “But his personality and his looks are really just to die for."

On Wednesday, the family of Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy was revealed to have adopted Eastwood, according to UpNorthLive.com.

Eastwood will go home with the Van Gundys next week.

Watch: Dying Shelter Dog Gets To Live Out His Final Days in a New, Loving Home After Online Appeal