Brandy, a 4-year-old pit bull, spent 361 days getting to know employees and volunteers at the MSPCA’s Boston shelter. They walked, fed, and cared for her daily, and she became one of their favorite animals.

So when a Boston woman walked into the shelter recently to take Brandy home, it was bittersweet for the staff, said MSPCA spokesman Rob Halpin.

“She’s always been incredibly warm and floppy,’’ he said. “Her tail is always going to and fro, and her eyes are darting, and that’s a sign of a happy dog.’’

Brandy ended up in the shelter when her owner was forced to move homes, Halpin said, which is the No. 1 reason why animals are surrendered to the MSPCA.

The pit bull was struggling with “spay incontinence,’’ a urinary tract abnormality that can cause dogs to urinate in their owners’ homes.

Luckily for Brandy, the medication used to treat spay incontinence is relatively inexpensive and easy to administer, Halpin said. And after reading about Brandy on the MSPCA’s Instagram account recently, one family decided to pay for one year’s worth of the medication.

But they didn’t adopt her.

“There were lots of close calls and meet and greets, but there are so many other dogs who are perfectly healthy and ready to go home,’’ he said.

Brandy also had a hard time getting along with other dogs, Halpin said, drastically reducing the pool of people who might be interested in taking her home.

“She really is darling,’’ he said. “We must not extrapolate the fact that she doesn’t get along with other dogs to people — because she absolutely adores people.’’

While Brandy’s yearlong caretakers will miss her company, they were relieved to see her find a home outside the shelter, which can take a toll on a dog’s personality, Halpin said. With other animals constantly coming and going, there are new sights and smells to adjust to every day.

“It’s a real mark of her solid makeup that her personality stayed intact for a year,’’ he said.

The new owner saw photos on Instagram and fell in love, Halpin said.

“It just takes an extraordinary needle in the haystack to step forward,’’ he said. “That adopter is always out there.’’

Alyssa Meyers can be reached at alyssa.meyers@globe.com.