Deniro Is NOT A Shelter Dog.

My name is Deniro and I am not a shelter dog. I'm a smallish dog, shaped a bit like a potato, with a calm disposition and a penchant for treats.

I don't exactly know what a 'shelter dog' is. People say it as if it's some sort of breed or condition. It's not. I'm a normal dog who happens to be in a shelter. You don't call someone who is in a hospital a 'hospital person' or infer that being in a hospital says anything about them. Shelter dogs are the same way. The word 'shelter' speaks to where we are, not who we are.

I don't have a foster home - I live at the shelter so lots of people can look at me to give me the best possible chance to meet new families. But I do have a friend who takes me out for sleepovers and field trips. Her name is Kelly and she has several dogs. I fit right in with them.

Like your dogs, I enjoy car rides. I'm good in the car, too. I look out the window and sniff. You could call me a 'car dog'. That tells you something about who I am. I am dog who likes to go on car rides.

Sometimes we go to the beach. Like pretty much every other dog on the planet, I love the beach. The word 'beach dog' is a better term than 'shelter dog'. You can call me a 'beach dog' if you like. That's a better description of who I am.

The beach we go to has a million other dogs that play there. Dogs that have homes. I meet them and say hello just fine. You could call me a 'friendly dog'. That's way better than calling me a 'shelter dog'.

When I sleepover at Kelly's house I can be lazy. I love to burrow under things and sleep. Your dogs might do that, too. A lot of dogs do that. You could call me a 'mole dog'. Or a 'lazy dog'.

Because I'm so calm I was used in a fashion show several months ago. I was a champ about the lights and the strangers and everything. Maybe call me 'high fashion dog' or 'dog who hangs out with models'. Those tell you something about the things I've done. I got carried around by a guy who looks like Matt Damon while people took pictures of me. That's way more fascinating than the fact that I wound up homeless.

I do not know why I've been here as long as I have. Maybe it's because I'm shaped a bit like a potato or because I'm so calm in my kennel that people don't notice me. It's not because I'm broken or damaged. It's not because I'm some special kind of dog that is a 'shelter dog'. All of us here are just normal dogs. But I am an exceptionally good one.

Perhaps you will see this and you'll come in and meet me. My calmness can seem a bit like aloofness at first but I'm so loyal - I follow people I know around. Maybe you'll see that in me and you'll take me home. Maybe you'll have other dogs but if you don't that's fine, too. I could come with you when you run errands and burrow under pillows on the sofa when we watch TV at night. On weekends we can go to the beach - I know the best beach. Then I could be 'your dog'. I like that title. 'Your dog'. It has a certain ring to it. And you could be 'my person'. That sounds pretty awesome, too.

The first step is for you to come in and meet me. Can we start there?