Naughty dog finds forever home after shelter's hilarious post: 'We want Eddie out of here'
Saleen MartinA cute, fiery, tiny tyrant of a dog made quite the name for himself after the Texas animal shelter that took him in made an online plea for someone to adopt him.
Cheryl Heineken, executive director of the Humane Society of Wichita County, made a post about Eddie the dachshund mix on Thursday.
In the post, she said the 1-year-old dog is a jerk who weighs 17 pounds but backs down from no one.
“Eddie is an (expletive),” the post read, along with the poop emoji.
According to the post, Eddie hates other dogs. She said he’d likely have a Bronx accent if he could speak and would make the perfect partner in a bar fight.
“If you think you are man enough to adopt him, please be our guest,” the shelter wrote on Facebook. “We want Eddie out of here because he scares our big dogs.”
Apparently the honest review worked. Eddie was adopted just a few hours after the post went live, Heineken told USA TODAY on Monday.
However, the shelter's first attempt to find Eddie a home didn't work. In his Facebook debut on Oct. 30, shelter employees said Eddie was mild-mannered and “a little nervous to be in the shelter” but very sweet once he makes friends.
Eddie arrived at the shelter in late October as a stray, Heineken said. He was put on a stray hold in case his owner claimed him but eventually he was put up for adoption.
Shelter's honest posts get mixed reviews
Heineken has been working at the shelter for 15 years and the executive director for 13. About a decade ago, she tried to make a similar post to garner the attention of potential dog owners.
The shelter was battling an increased demand for puppies, which led to bigger, adult dogs being overlooked.
“We would make a cute little flyers like ‘Oh, I won't chew on your flip-flops because I'm a grown (expletive) dog’ or ‘I won't wake you up at 2 in the morning,’” she said. “Some people thought it was hilarious and we got quite a few shares on it but then some people were like ‘You shouldn't talk like that. You’re supposed to be professional.’”
Lots of love for Eddie
This time around, though, people seemed to love the post. The shelter received over 100 requests for information about Eddie or helping the shelter.
She also added that the shelter runs completely on donations. They pull most of their dogs and cats from “kill lists” at other shelters. Some shelters can only take in but so many animals and once they exceed that amount, animals are euthanized, she said.
“We usually go in and we try to pull those dogs off that kill list to help out,” she said. “We also take in strays and some owner surrenders but the kill list is my main focus to save these animals.”
Eddie doesn’t like other dogs but is just fine with people
Heineken said Eddie wasn’t at the shelter for very long but was pretty well-known for his fiery personality. Employees who clean the kennels said he was mischievous and always fought the other dogs.
“We couldn't put him outside the yard with anybody because we had to pull him off of other dogs,” she said. “But with people, he was fine. He loves to play ball. He likes cookies. He'll crawl up in your lap.”
Eddie had two factors making it hard to rehome him: 1. Black or dark-colored dogs are often discriminated against and people overlook them, she said. And 2. He cannot live with other dogs.
“As I'm sitting there watching (an employee) try to get pictures and stuff, I just can’t think of anything great to say as to why you should come, rush over and get this dog."
So Heineken got creative instead.
Eddie's new family is the perfect fit
The post caught the eyes of Linda Brooks and her daughter, 15-year-old Taryn. Linda Brooks drove a few hours from Cleburne, Texas to get the dog.
Taryn Brooks saw her mom share a post about Eddie and knew she had to have him.
“We're taking these things off your (Christmas) list if I'm getting this dog,” her mother, Linda, told her.
So instead of a hair curler, Converses and other stuff, her gift is Eddie the tiny tyrant. She said the shelter’s description of Eddie fit her family.
“When we went to the place to go get him, he was just already attached to us,” Taryn said. “He was already laying in my arms and everything.”
Eddie is also living up to his description.
So far, he has escaped twice and the family had to chase him throughout the neighborhood. He’s able to slip out of his collar so the family is getting him a harness, Linda said.
“He's not easy to catch,” Linda said. “He thinks it's fun though. He thinks it's a game.”
The Brooks family has started a TikTok and Facebook account for Eddie.
They plan to use their social media following to help the Humane Society of Wichita County get items on their wishlist. Eddie is spoiled rotten already, so the family figured they’d do what they can to help other shelters.
And they are finding a more snuggly side of the naughty pup.
“He wants to be underneath the covers,” she said. “He's fun. He's already so much fun already except for the chasing. We’re a little out of shape but we love him.”
