For nearly 200 days, this sweet dog named George has been without a home to call his own — but he’s found a way to cope with the anxiety of being overlooked by potential adopters.
George clings to his stuffed toys for emotional support.
George originally arrived to Chicago Animal Care and Control as a stray last November. He was microchipped and presumed to be someone’s pet, but no family ever came to claim him.
From there, George was taken in by One Tail at a Time, a local dog rescue group. They noticed right away that his restless demeanor seemed to be soothed by having a plush plaything in his mouth or by his side.
“His love of stuffies was pretty much instant!” Alli Rooney, marketing manager at One Tail at a Time, told The Dodo.
When George was
placed into his first foster home, his rescuers sent him along with plenty of stuffies to choose from.
“George is incredibly sweet with people, very smart, and obviously adorable,” Rooney said. “He also has great household manners and is overall an easy dog!”
One thing that George has challenges with, however, is being around other dogs. On walks, he’d get anxious when other pups were around — that is, until he started carrying one of his stuffies with him.
“When he sees other dogs on walks and has a stuffie, he can ignore the distraction and keep his pace with his walker,” Rooney said.
When George finally tires, those emotional support stuffies help him drift off in peace as well.
With any luck, George and his stuffies will finally find a family to cherish him for a lifetime.
"He loves cuddling, playing and snoozing right next to you. He hasn't met kids in our care yet, but we suspect he would do well with them. He hasn't met cats, but we don't think he would be a fan,” Rooney said. “We are definitely optimistic that George and our other 'solo dogs' will find great homes — their people are out there, and until we find them, we will keep sharing cute photos and videos and hope they catch someone's eye!”
