A dog who ended up in an animal shelter after his owner was sent to jail is struggling to drum up much interest from potential adopters.
George's plight was first highlighted by Bunny's Buddies, an animal rescue initiative focused on helping dogs in kill shelters, slaughterhouses or living on the streets.
"George came from a small, rural shelter in Tennessee," Amanda Jo, the founder of Buddy's Bunnies told Newsweek. "A woman named Jess runs it and she is very underfunded and overcrowded, taking in the city's dumped and failed animals."
Bunny's Buddies came to George just in time. Otherwise he could have faced a grim fate. "Sometimes, Jess even has to make the difficult choice to put animals down due to simply having no space," Jo said.
Thankfully, Buddy's Bunnies intervened, saving a life in the process.
George's life has not been an easy one. "George ended up at the shelter after his dad went to jail and never came back," Jo said. "Once released, he never came back for him."
George had a family and a home to call his own but all of that was taken away through no fault of his own. For the longest time, sitting in that shelter, George must have wondered if today would be the day his human companion returned for him. But that day never came.
Now, four months on from his arrival, George is benefiting from foster care in Omaha, Nebraska, organized by Bunny's Buddies but is still struggling to garner much interest from shelter visitors.
In a video posted to TikTok, Bunny's Buddies revealed he has yet to garner a single adoption application with the animal rescue suggesting George has been left wondering "why no one wants to be his family."
First impressions can make a huge impact in the adoption process. In a 2012 study from the journal Animals, nearly 1,500 people who recently adopted a dog were surveyed to try to ascertain what it was that influenced these decisions.
Social behaviors were found to be key. Adopters consistently commented on how the dogs approached and greeted them, often licking them, jumping up or wagging their tails during this encounter. The study concluded these behaviors likely influenced their decisions.
Jo believes that's part of the problem with George. "Many people just see an adorable dog like George and they apply because he is cute or, what they think he will be: active, athletic, sweet, good with other dogs etc..." she said.
"But George is a failed animal and most people do not keep that in mind. George needs rescuing. George needs help, not a to do list after all of the trauma he has endured. Most of our applicants apply for what they want, whereas our mission looks for what the dog's need, first."
Thankfully, George's foster care means he has so far avoided any of the negative impact an extended shelter stay might cause. "Like most of our dogs, George is truly just grateful to be in a foster home with a loving family," Buddy's Bunnies said. "At the end of the day, this is all of our dogs want—to be loved by you! To have a family, for life!"
Wherever George does end up, the main priority needs to be him.
"George has been failed. He needs help," Buddy's Bunnies said. "Any expectation they have of him, must be created through hard work with them, first. These dogs are rescue dogs, most have been failed their entire life. They do not know how to be good with other dogs, kids or cats, it is our job to show them. George needs a home that understands his past and that just wants to be a better part of his future."
Anyone willing to provide that should reach out to Buddy's Bunnies.
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