When a mixed-breed Pittie entered the shelter in 2016, visitors and potential parents passed him by and did not have the interest to take him home. He spent weeks in the shelter, but no one was interested in adopting him. The pup had a grumpy-looking expression that drew visitors away, assuming he may be a tough pet to take home. However, a kind-hearted shelter volunteer photographer stepped in to help the Pittie find a forever home. She posted photos of the dog on social media, hoping potential adopters would see the unique dog behind his grumpy-looking expression.
The Dodo reported that 2-year-old Pit Bull mix Sheldon became the focus of potential parents when his photos were shared on social media. In 2016, he arrived at the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control Shelter in Phoenix, Arizona. He was abandoned by his former owner.
However, when visitors come to the shelter to pick out pets for adoption, Shelton is sadly overlooked most of the time due to his grumpy facial expression. Although he had a kind personality, his strange appearance was not favored by the adopters. None of the visitors showed any interest in adopting Sheldon. One day, a volunteer photographer came to the shelter and discovered the lovable pup with a unique expression.
“He hadn’t had any inquiries that I noticed,” volunteer photographer Heather Haltmeyer said. “I never saw him doing a meet-and-greet. It’s unfortunate, but at any given time, we have about 600 to 800 animals between our two shelters, so you can imagine how hard it is for one pit bull to stand out amongst 600 other pit bulls.”
Heather could not bear to see Sheldon being overlooked by adopters. She believes the adorable pup deserves to have a forever home with an adoring family to give him all the love he deserves. She decided to take some photos of Sheldon to let potential parents know more about him so he could be provided a home as soon as possible.
“He had this adorable droopy face,” Heather said. “I instantly thought of those ‘adopt don’t shop’ ads with a goofy dog with a grumpy face, like, ‘My face when you told me you bought your dog from a breeder.’ But he’s super friendly — not grumpy at all.”
Heather brought Sheldon outside and placed a green bowtie on his collar. She snapped several photos of Sheldon and immediately realized he was born to be in front of the camera. “He wasn’t shy,” Heather said. “He seemed to eat it all up.”
After sharing Sheldon’s photos on social media, there was still no news of adoption after some time. However, his photos received hundreds of shares across other social media sites. The Facebook post read, “We may be biased, but we think Sheldon should be a doggy celebrity with all those expressions! Think of all the fun you could have taking pictures of him if you adopt!”
Soon, a young woman named Emily Chmiel contacted Heather at the shelter and expressed her willingness to adopt Sheldon. Emily said that when she saw the photos of the adorable pup on Facebook, she found him interesting and seemed to have a unique personality. “I fell in love with his serious expressions in his pictures and knew he belonged in my house,” Emily said.
Sheldon is finally adopted! Later, he was given a new name, Castiel. Leaving his sad past behind, Castiel now lives in his forever home with Emily and 5 new cat siblings. “I adore his personality and his spunk,” Emily said. “He already follows me around everywhere!”
Images credits: © Maricopa County Animal Care & Control/Facebook
