Benny is a 7-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier with a face that tends to get noticed for all the wrong reasons.
One of his ears is visibly deformed.
Old scars mark his face.
For some people walking through the shelter, that first impression is enough. They look into Benny's kennel, hesitate, and move on.
But anyone who stays for a few more seconds may see the routine Benny repeats with almost every visitor.
The moment someone stops, Benny turns away from the gate.
He runs back to his bed.
He picks up the same worn-out stuffed toy.
Then he carries it directly to the kennel door and gently pushes it through the gap between the bars.
If the person leaves, Benny retrieves the toy.
He brings it back inside.
Then he sits down and waits.
When another person stops, Benny does the whole thing again.
Benny Only Has One Toy He Keeps Bringing Over
The stuffed animal is old.
It is worn from use.
Yet it is the object Benny repeatedly chooses when someone appears outside his kennel.
He does not leave it beside his bed when a visitor stops.
He goes back for it.
Benny picks it up carefully in his mouth and returns to the gate.
Then he lowers his head toward the bottom of the kennel door.
The stuffed toy begins squeezing through the gap.
Benny nudges it farther.
Eventually, part or all of the toy reaches the visitor's side of the bars.
Then Benny waits.
The dog whose scarred appearance caused someone to hesitate has just placed his worn-out toy within their reach.
Sometimes the Person Walks Away
Not every visitor responds.
Some continue down the hallway.
That is when Benny's routine reverses.
He reaches for the stuffed animal again.
Benny pulls it back through the bars.
The toy returns to his side of the kennel.
He does not throw it around or abandon it at the gate.