Nobody Noticed This Shelter Dog, But Then Everyone Loved Him

You’ve probably seen those cute pictures of pit bulls making goofy faces, or you’d come to love the pit bull dogs that have come into your life. You know they’ve got loads of personality, that they’re loyal and friendly dogs, and you probably also know that they get a bad reputation in the world of animal adoptions and with animal ownership in general. Of course, you’ve gotta ask why a breed would be demonized in such a way, but you’ll also want to learn first-hand how one dog, Sheldon, managed to set himself apart from the masses of pit bulls, to demonstrate his unique personality. It’s true… Nobody noticed the shelter dog, but he really was one-of-a-kind, and he was bound and determined to prove it!

What’s With Pit Bulls?

Before you glare over this way and say that’s a silly question, you’ve gotta realize that “pit bull” is actually an umbrella term for a whole bunch of different dogs, so you could be talking about American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or it could just be a stray mutt, who has any combination of “pit bull” breeds, along with a royal mix of any other kind of dog you could think of. Yep, it’s confusing, and it’s also sad because pit bulls are often considered undesirable or not “family friendly” which puts them in a really bad spot when they end up in animal shelters across the US and around the world. Here’s the story of one pit bull who ended up in a shelter, named Sheldon.

A Question of Sheldon

So, Sheldon is one of those dogs that have been described as a pit bull, and he arrived at an animal shelter. Even if pit bull dogs didn’t statistically make up a larger percentage of shelter dogs (32% in 2014), he also didn’t present himself as friendly. Staff described him as shy, even grumpy. Then again, wouldn’t you be? No matter how a dog got to the pound or how innocuous their abandonment might have been, it’s not easy for a dog to be stuck in a cage. And, it’s just not a happy situation, no matter how hard the staff tries to make it better, easier, or even enjoyable.