A pit bull mix puppy under four months old was found wandering alone in Austintown, Ohio. When the Mahoning County Dog Warden took him in, staff found his name shaved into the fur on his side. The clippers had gone close enough to leave the skin scabbed and irritated. He also had an older wound on his head. iHeartDogs has the full story.
His name is Ben, and nobody came for him. Days passed with a name written across his body and no owner stepping forward, so the shelter stopped waiting on his past and started looking for the person who will take over his future. They describe Ben as friendly with other dogs. His history with cats and children is unknown.
There is one more thing the shelter wanted people to hear before anyone fell for the photos. Ben is a 15-year commitment. Shelters watch puppies get adopted at four months and returned at ten, once the chewing starts and the vet bills arrive. Ben has already had enough uncertainty for one puppyhood.
If that promise is not on the table for you right now, fostering still helps, and so does sharing a shelter post. When we looked at what stops people from adopting, most of the hesitation came down to practical problems rather than the dog itself. Practical problems tend to have workarounds, and Ben’s shelter would like to hear about yours.