A dog that has spent half his life in an animal shelter is hoping to turn his fortune round this Christmas – by winning over a potential family with his goofy smile.
Rolo, an American Bulldog/Staffy cross breed, faces spending Christmas all alone in the RSPCA shelter he has lived in for seven months.
The playful pup, thought to be around a year old, was rescued by inspectors after it was discovered he was not being cared for properly by his owners.
Staff at the shelter in York say he is an intelligent and beautiful dog who enjoys learning new things, despite having a short attention span for anything but play time.
Now he is looking for a loving family who will not let him down, will learn how to keep him calm and can shower him with love.
Rolo would best suited at a house without children or other pets as he has been enrolled on a behavior training plan, staff said.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA York, Harrogate & District Branch said: “Rolo came to the centre via an inspector after his needs were not getting met.
“Rolo is a very sweet boy who does not realise how big and strong he actually is.
“We are looking for experienced dog owners who have owned large breed dogs before who have needed a little extra help with their training.
“Rolo has been assessed by our behaviorist and has a training plan in place.”
Adopters must be willing to carry on his training and enroll him with a behaviorist or dog trainer.
The spokesperson added: “Rolo is very willing to learn new things but adopters will need to very patient with him as he is still very young and boisterous.
“Rolo still has a lot to learn but we feel the kennel environment is holding back his potential.
“Rolo unfortunately is not sociable with other dogs or cats so will need to be the only pet in the home, we are also looking for an adult only home.”
He is described as a “bundle of fun” by staff who believe he has the potential to make the most fantastic, loyal and loving pet.
They say his favourite things in life are food, toys and spending time with people but that he can sometimes “forget himself” and get a little overexcited.
The spokesperson added: “Rolo has improved so much in the weeks that we have had him here which is just lovely to see but what we really want for this big chunky boy is to find a family of his very own who won’t let him down.”
Anyone interested in adopting Rolo can visit www.rspca-yorkhome.org.uk/adopt-an-animal/rolo/ and apply.
