North Fort Myers, Florida - For years, Bean the dog was left at the Animal Refuge Center (ARC) in Florida. She had to watch other pups find their forever homes, but it was never her lucky day.

Finally, a potential adopter named Larry appeared to be interested in Bean, but caregivers at the shelter worried about how long it would take the shy dog to warm up to her human.

"Bean wasn’t going to be a ‘come in, meet the dog and take her home’ kind of situation. She was going to be a dog who someone would have to come back over time to get to know her," the ARC's Michelle Wilson told The Dodo this week. "I explained this all to Larry, and he said, 'Whatever it takes.'"

Larry, who came across the four-legged friend on the shelter's website, came by every day for four weeks to gain Bean's trust.

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"He’d sit outside of her kennel and give her treats over time," Wilson said. "Eventually, he walked with Bean and our dog handler."

Eventually, Larry and Bean had bonded, and the dog was finally ready to leave the shelter. In a bittersweet moment, her former caretakers said goodbye to their longest animal resident.

At the end of September, the ARC published a long Facebook post with many photos of Bean and Larry, in which the shelter told the story of the special friendship.

Many users were touched by the story, sharing hearts and sweet messages in the comments.

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And Bean? "She seems to be very happy and doing very well," Wilson said. "She almost looks like she has a smile on her face in all her pictures."

It looks like the dog got her happy ending after all – better late than never!