Matt Damon Goes on ‘Dream Date’ with a Pit Bull Named Betsy Who’s Been Waiting to Find a Home for Nearly 2 Years

NEED TO KNOW

• Matt Damon visited Eastwood Ranch Foundation to go on a date with Betsy, a pit bull waiting over 1.5 years for adoption

• The visit supports California Adopt-A-Pet Day, which aims to address the state’s pet overpopulation crisis

• Damon met several dogs, while the shelter has a variety of pets available to take home during its community adoption event

Matt Damon just scored the ultimate “dream date” — with permission from his wife, of course.

The Odyssey star, 55, paid a visit to Eastwood Ranch Foundation’s Animal Rescue and Adoption Facility in Agoura Hills, Calif., where he spent the afternoon with a few dogs looking for new homes, including one particular cutie: Betsy, a pit bull who has been waiting to be adopted for nearly two years.

“So Betsy was my date today,” Damon, who owns a number of rescue pets, says in a video shared to Instagram by the foundation — a rescue that specializes in saving pets from high-kill shelters — on Friday, June 5, just ahead of the state’s Adopt-A-Pet Day on Saturday, June 6.

“For one reason, it was the first date my wife has allowed me to go on in 23 years,” he jokes about Luciana, before explaining why he’s hanging out with the canine. “But the other, the real reason, was that Betsy’s been here the longest. She’s been here for a year and a half. And while this is a great place for a dog, it’s not a permanent place for a dog. And what she really needs is a family to take her in.”

In the caption of the video, Eastwood Ranch wrote that Betsy is “a people-loving, toy-obsessed pit bull who’s been waiting over 1.5 years for a home,” adding that it hopes someone will eventually “choose her.” During his visit, Damon also met “Jojo, an endlessly playful pup; Piper, a deaf and blind sweetheart; and Duke, a Doberman who can’t get enough toys,” all dogs looking for new owners and homes.

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In a press release shared with PEOPLE, Eastwood Ranch Foundation said that on Saturday it will be hosting a free community adoption event at its rescue center as part of California’s statewide effort to “place as many animals as possible into loving homes.”

Anyone who visits the rescue center will have the opportunity to meet a variety of pets available for adoption. In addition to Betsy, the shelter is currently housing puppies, kittens, adult dogs and cats, senior animals, bonded pairs and special-needs animals, Eastwood Ranch Foundation said.

“California has a serious pet overpopulation crisis. Shelters across the state are overwhelmed, and the animals paying the price are healthy, loving pets who simply need someone to choose them. That is why a statewide day dedicated entirely to adoption matters so much,” said Alison Eastwood, Eastwood Ranch Foundation’s founder who was also seen in the video alongside Damon.

She added, “California Adopt-A-Pet Day gives all of us, rescues, shelters, and residents, a shared moment to come together and take action. If you have ever thought about adopting, this Saturday is the day. Come meet these animals. One of them is waiting for you.”

More information about Betsy, the adoption process and Saturday’s event can be found on Eastwood Ranch Foundation’s website.

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