Edit: Jesse was adopted!

I walked around the shelter trying to find my first dog of the day. I like to look for older dogs, typically pit bulls, that look like they need a break from their cage. Jesse was laying against the cage, not moving. He had what looked like other dogs’ feces all over his body. I put my hand up to the cage for him to smell and the five other dogs living with him eagerly trampled his lifeless body. I had to get him out of there.

I put the leash around his neck and forced him to start walking. His tail was permanently placed between his legs, his face cowering down. It was apparent he had been abused.

I took him out to the yard with a few toys and treats to see if I could get him out of his shell. He just sat there, looking down at the ground, scared I was about to hurt him.

I put Walter’s (my dog) harness around his body to see if he would start trusting me on a walk around the facility. After about 15 minutes, I started to see some progress. His tail was now up, he was looking to me for affection and he was curious about his surroundings.

I took him back to the yard to see if I could get him to play with me or other dogs. He began to trot around the yard, following me wherever I went. His tail began to wag. I began to earn his trust as he was gaining confidence.

I would sit on a chair and he would crawl up into my lap, desperately needing human affection.

After about an hour and a half watching this docile dog jog back and forth along the fence with a pure bred boxer (yes, the shelter has pure bred boxers), I had to take him back to his cage.

His demeanor changed immediately when we walked back into the facility. I had to drag him back into the cage as he was whimpering.

For those interested, Jesse has been tested with other dogs and cats. He is a docile 4-6 year old pit bull mix who just wants to lay around and get pet. Please email me at neelyannconway@gmail.com if you are interested in adopting this guy.