Dog Who Fights and Hates Other Pets Adopted After Shelter Post Goes Viral

The power of social media came through for a 17-pound dog who was known as an “a******” living in a Texas-based animal shelter.

The Humane Society of Wichita County shared in a November 16 Facebook post that a small dog named Eddie packed a punch and despite his small stature, he could take on a Rottweiler.

“If Eddie had an accent, he would sound like he’s from the Bronx, wearing a wife beater t-shirt and a tattoo that says MOM on his arm,” the post reads. “If you got into a bar fight, Eddie would back you up and take on all 5 guys, put his cigarette out on their forehead and not spilling a drop of his beer while doing it.”

The sarcastic embellishments about Eddie quickly went viral, ultimately landing him a forever home in just a few hours.

Director Cheryl Heineken told Newsweek that Eddie does not get along with other dogs. Shelter employees had to pull Eddie off two other dogs. But, luckily, he never showed aggression toward people. In fact, this 1-year-old dachshund mix actually does very well with people.

Heineken said it is hard to place dogs in their homes when a dog only gets along with people. Knowing that, she said had to come up with something to make him stand out. Something to make up adoptable.

And what better way to do that than to challenge potential adopters by asking, “So, if you think you are man enough to adopt him, please be our guest. We want Eddit out of here because he scares our big dogs.”

In less than eight hours from the original post, the Humane Society posted a new picture of Eddie with his forever family. Eddie instantly melted into the family’s 15-year-old daughter.

The post gathered attention from around the world including Canada and Australia, Heineken said. It was shared over 79,000 times. Not only did it give people a good chuckle, but users appreciated the honesty.

“This is the best thing on the internet today,” wrote a Facebook user.

Another one added: “I feel like whoever wrote Eddie’s bio could get every shelter and rescue dog in America adopted by writing theirs.”

Fans who fell in love with Eddie’s sassy ways can still follow him along as his family started his own Facebook page—Ahole Eddie. The now-famous dog has over 31,000 followers in less than a week of the page starting.

And it looks like Ahole Eddie is putting his best paw forward, replying to requests from followers for an Ahole Eddie Wish List (“Hooman said not to wish for beer and cigarettes because I need to support my own bad habits.”) by putting together a modest list and asking others to donate to shelters.

Social Media Helping With Adoptions

Social media has spread its fingers into virtually every part of a person’s life. And now, thanks to the connection and constant sharing, animal shelters are benefiting from social media as well.

A 2018 survey from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found there was an increase in awareness and adoptions thanks to the positive impacts of social media.

Of the 800 shelters surveyed, 86 percent saw an increase in general awareness about their organization, 66 percent had an increase in overall animal adoptions, and 55 percent had increased adoption rates for harder-to-place animals like senior pets or those with medical issues.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.