A “sweetheart” dog has spent more than half of his life in an animal shelter — and still needs a home.

Martin the energetic 1-year-old puppy is up for adoption after spending months recovering from an injury, according to the Connecticut Humane Society.

“He truly appreciates the simple things in life, like play time, lots of pats and snuggles, and people who match his high-energy play style,” the animal organization wrote Feb. 15 in a Facebook post. “Martin wants nothing more than to learn how wonderful having a family of his own could be.”

Martin has been in the shelter for about 250 days, longer than the average stay of roughly 40 days. Much of his time was spent in physical therapy for a leg injury, spokesperson Kathryn Schubert told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

Martin arrived at the shelter in June and had a limp due to a fracture in one of his legs. Though the Humane Society said it doesn’t know how he originally ended up in the shelter environment, he was one of several dogs transported from Louisiana to Connecticut.

“He kind of grew up in our shelter over at Waterford,” Schubert said, adding that it’s important he continues to grow in a home.

Martin received treatment for his injury and went up for adoption in December. He’s described as a cheerful, “wiggly” pup that’s larger in size, meaning he might not do best in a family with small children. A video posted on social media shows him being rambunctious as he plays with one of his beloved toys.

“This big black lab mix is a friendly, lovable sweetheart who enjoys his toys and his outdoor adventures, and who really wants to have a human companion to share his life with too,” the shelter wrote.

As of early Feb. 18, an online adoption profile shows Martin was still in need of a new owner. More details about the Humane Society’s adoption process can be found at cthumane.org/martin.

Waterford is roughly 40 miles east of New Haven.

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