Five months ago, Paw Squad 559 received a call from an overcrowded shelter asking if they could take in a dog named Darby who was having trouble getting adopted. When the Clovis, California-based Paw Squad 559 team first met Darby, they didn’t understand why no one seemed to want him.
As a 2-year-old dog who weighs just 5 pounds, a pup like Darby would normally get scooped up right away. But Darby’s medical exams revealed that there was an underlying reason he was having a difficult time.
“The X-rays showed that where a normal dog’s kneecaps move, his [were] fused,” Helga Weiss, president of Paw Squad 559 and Darby’s foster mom, told The Dodo.
Because of his fused kneecaps, Darby looks a little different from other dogs. And since he doesn’t fit people’s typical mold of what they want their pet to look like, people overlook him.
“He’s had literally no interest whatsoever,” Weiss said.
Not only are people uninterested in Darby, they also actively reject him.
“People come to the adoption events and they point and him and they go, ‘What’s wrong with that dog?’” Weiss said. “There was actually one adoption event where people were kind of leaning over the pen and petting a dog, and they pushed Darby away to pet the other dog.”
It breaks Weiss’ heart to see Darby get repeatedly ignored by potential adopters. The Darby she knows is sweet, loyal and energetic and loves nothing more than being in the company of friends.
“He does the zoomies a million miles per hour,” Weiss said. “He loves all the other dogs.”
But because no one seems interested in getting to know him, he’s starting to give up on people. Darby just doesn’t understand why no one seems to like him, so he retreats from everyone.
“You can tell that at the adoption events he’s started to, like, not approach people as much anymore,” Weiss said.
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Darby doesn’t need many accommodations for his knees; he just has to be in a house without stairs or a pool. He would make a great addition to almost any family — if someone would just give him a chance.
Darby’s two favorite things are playing with his stuffed octopus and getting carried around in Weiss’ purse.
“He literally will do, like, little spins and ask to be in the purse,” Weiss said.
So if you’ve been looking for a tiny new best friend who wants to be carried around with you everywhere you go, look no further than Darby. He has so much love to give, and one person deciding to love him back would change his whole life forever.
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