Canine Connection

Elton was a big, Boxer mix who was brought into the shelter where I worked. He was about five-years-old, sweet and energetic. Although quite a few people were interested in him, he was passed over for adoption time and again because he was a little older than most people wanted.

Despite the fact that Elton called a shelter home, it didn’t stop him from making a difference in someone’s life. Weekly, we had volunteers from a nearby group home come in to walk dogs. All of these volunteers were adults with some sort of mental disability. One of the young men, Ron, was very quiet, and kept mostly to himself. One of the supervisors who came with the group told me that Ron had worked as an engineer before he had his breakdown. He walked dogs with his head down, not talking or even interacting much with whichever dog he walked. Until he met Elton.

It started off slowly. Ron walked Elton for a few weeks in a row, continuing to stay quiet with his head down. Elton stayed glued to his side, looking up occasionally to give him an adoring look. For the volunteers who were interested, I taught them how to do some basic obedience work with the dogs. I explained that this would help make them more adoptable. Ron had never been interested, but once he started walking Elton, he began to pay more attention to the training tips. Before long, he had Elton doing some basic obedience during each walk. Ron even began to ask questions about Elton, his history, why he was staying so long in the shelter. The supervisors from the group home told me for the first time Ron was talking during other activities, usually about what he did at the shelter.

I felt conflicted. One part of me wanted to see Elton get the home he deserved, while the other part was afraid of what it would do to Ron if Elton wasn’t there when he came to shelter. Finally, the day came. The volunteers from the group home were greeted with the news that Elton had been adopted. Ron surprised us all. Instead of withdrawing back into himself, he smiled. I thanked him, letting him know that all his work with Elton had helped make him more appealing to adopters, and told him all about the wonderful family Elton had now. Ron remained quiet, but the smile stayed on his face. Then he asked me if there was another dog who was having a hard time finding a home. Apparently Elton brought Ron out of his shell and gave him a new sense of purpose, and it was going to stay that way. All this from one mixed breed shelter dog.