Orville’s smile really makes him stand out from other dogs. This 2-year-old pit bull mix’s grin stretches from ear to ear! Every time someone comes to visit his kennel at the White County Animal Shelter, his smile stretches even more.
“When you go toward his pen with that leash, he gets that big grin,” Alex Dulaney, a volunteer at White County Animal Shelter said. “When you take him outside and pick up his favorite toy, he’s all about that smile. It’s a really nice, unique smile.”
Despite that winning smile, Orville hasn’t been adopted yet. This has baffled the staff at the shelter. He’s been at the shelter for 437 days now, making him the shelter’s longest-staying dog.
Orville came into the shelter in January from as a stray from Sparta, Tennessee. “We got a call about a dog roaming the neighborhood, and so an animal control officer went out to pick him up,” Dulaney said.
The pooch was only about 1 year old at the time, and everyone thought he’d be adopted soon, as most dogs that come into the White County Animal Shelter are adopted within a month. But Orville was unlucky in that respect.
“I guess a lot of people overlook him because he is part pit bull, and there’s just so many other dogs that people look at, like German shepherds,” Dulaney said. “He’s got a great personality, but there’s only been like two people, maybe if that, who have even looked at him.”
“I think he thinks this is his home now,” Dulaney added. “He doesn’t know anything outside of that really. I don’t think he’d even know what a couch would be.”
Meanwhile, Orville watched his friends get adopted, including Sachi, the dog who used to live in the kennel right next to him. “They loved to play together,” Dulaney said. “They’d run around and do all these little zoomies and stuff, but when she left, he’s just not had that kind of bond with anyone lately.”
Despite Orville being unlucky in that department, the shelter staff never gave up on him. All he needed was someone who was willing to give him a chance.
“We’re all waiting for his chance, and he’s definitely become one of the staff favorites,” Dulaney said. “He’s a really great dog.”
How can anybody walk past that amazing smile? People still seem to be spooked out by pit bulls and their mixes till now. But the attitude towards these dogs is changing slowly. Let’s hope he soon find the forever home he deserves soon.
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