When animal control was notified of a stray, scared dog, they were not expecting just how fearful this boy was going to be.
They tried their usual tactics to bring him in, but he would run at the first chance he got.
They could see the pup’s sweetness through his fear, so they were determined to do whatever it took to save him.
Keep reading to find out what happened next!
Brought to Safety
Animal control spent days trying to catch this dog.
They eventually got him, but they had to use a catch pole, which can be very stressful for a dog.
Then, he was even further stressed when he was brought to the Humane Society of Tacoma & Pierce County in Washington.
The shelter tried their best to make him comfortable, and they gave him a name, Sheldon.
While the environment was a lot for Sheldon to handle, he was definitely more safe there than on the streets.
However, shelter staff worried that the chaos of the shelter would keep him so fearful, he’d never catch the eye of an adopter.
A Weekend Respite
After two weeks, Sheldon was still very scared of humans.
But, he seemed to get along well with other dogs and was less scared of everything else when he had a canine companion.
So, a volunteer named Jan decided to bring Sheldon home for the weekend to hangout with her dogs and get a break from the shelter.
She hoped maybe a weekend around less humans and hustle bustle might give Sheldon the rest and relaxation he needed to start making some progress.
Little did Jan know, this was going to be much more a weekend getaway for Sheldon!
Love at First Sight
Jan had fallen in love with Sheldon and his unique look from the moment he came into the shelter.
After a few hours in her house, she had only fallen more in love with him.
Then, when she posted him to her Facebook, Sheldon caught the eye of another important person at a different organization that Jan volunteers with!
“I saw that picture of him and I was just like ‘why are you not talking to me about him’,” Ellen, the executive director of Forgotten Dogs Rescue, said. “Why don’t we have him as a Forgotten Dogs Foster!”
Ellen immediately reached out to Jan to see how Forgotten Dogs could help Sheldon come out of his shell.
After just a few phone calls and some paperwork, Sheldon’s weekend visit to Jan’s turned into an indefinite stay!
From Shelter Dog to Foster Dog
Ellen and Jan both knew that Sheldon had a much higher chance of success in a home rather than a shelter.
“He is healthy from snout to tail,” Ellen said. “But, he is nervous around people.”
Now that he was under the care of Forgotten Dogs, he would be able to stay with Jan until he found an adopter, rather than go back to the shelter.
At Jan’s, Sheldon was able to spend time quietly by himself when he wants, but he was also able to interact with Jan and her dogs when he felt comfortable.
“We’re just letting him decompress and settle and get some confidence right now,” Ellen said. “This first bit of time has really just been letting him get comfortable with people.”
Ellen and Jan knew that with the right approach, Sheldon could eventually come out of his shell.
Slow and Steady
Things were tough at first, and it was clear that Sheldon must have had a rough past with humans.
“We’ll never know what his past was,” Ellen said. “All we can do is pick it up where we are today and try to repair some of the damage that’s been done.”
At first, even when Jan pulled out treats for him, Sheldon would run away and hide.
But, eventually, he started to occasionally request affection from Jan, walking up to her asking to be pet.
Jan’s dogs helped with this immensely.
“He is a lot more confident if there is another confident dog around,” Ellen said. “If another dog will do something, he will usually do it too.”
Slowly but surely, Sheldon has started to trust humans a little bit more!
Sheldon’s Ideal Forever Home
Sheldon is much more happy, confident, and comfortable than he was when he was rescued.
Ellen and Jan can tell, though, that he has a little more growing to do before he’s ready to thrive in a forever home.
“You know we’re not in any rush to get him adopted,” Ellen said. “We’re just letting him kind of guide what his path needs to be.”
That is exactly what Sheldon needs, both from his foster and from his forever human.
Sheldon will also need another confident dog in the house to help him get comfortable with all the amazing new things he is sure to experience.
Ellen knows that whenever Sheldon is ready, they will find the perfect adopter for him.
A True Super Mutt
While Sheldon isn’t ready to be adopted yet, he has had no shortage of interested people!
“He is such a cool looking little dog,” Ellen said. “He’s hilarious.”
Many people have asked about Sheldon and his unique look, so many, in fact, that Ellen got his DNA tested!
The test results confirmed that Sheldon is a true super mutt!
He’s growing sweeter by the day, and Ellen is certain that his cute face will bring in the perfect person for him once he is ready.
Click here to follow Forgotten Dogs Rescue on Instagram and keep up with Sheldon’s progress!
Click here to check out Forgotten Dogs Rescue on Facebook and see their other adoptable pups.