When 9-year-old Cairo Hall headed to a shelter last week to possibly adopt his first dog, he decided to dress up. He’d wanted a dog since he was 3 years old and was excited to meet potential pets with his mom at PAWS Shelter of Central Texas in Kyle.
“It was a special moment,” he said.
Then he met Waylon, a young pit bull mix who had spent 95 days at the shelter — after being pulled from an overcrowded shelter where he might have been at risk of euthanasia.
The sweet 1-year-old pit bull mix was so popular with the staff that he often spent time behind the front desk as an “office dog.” For Hall, it was “love at first sight.”
“The first time I saw him, I just wanted him so badly,” he said. “I just knew he was the one.”
Asking Thoughtful Questions Before Adopting
They went outside to an off-leash area to get to know one another. Hall asked Waylon to “sit” and rewarded him with treats. Then he asked the staff many questions about Waylon — from what food he eats and whether he has any fears to tips about heartworm prevention, positive training and registering a microchip — because he’d been researching dogs on YouTube before visiting the shelter.
Katheryn White, an adoption counselor at PAWS Shelter of Central Texas, said the shelter staff was deeply impressed that Hall asked so many thoughtful questions during the adoption process.
“I’ve been with this organization for 10 years, and we’ll have kids ask, ‘What’s their name? Do they know tricks?’ I don’t think we’ve ever had a kid come in with an agenda, so to speak,” she said. “He was ready to get down to business. This was serious for him. He’s just mature beyond his years. He asked questions that adults have not.”
She’d also never seen anyone dress up to adopt a pet before, which she and the rest of the team found delightful. She’s happy that Waylon found such a loving home after being overlooked for months by potential adopters, especially since big dogs are having a hard time getting adopted nationwide.
Helping Big Dogs
“Big dogs just sit longer, unfortunately. That can be due to many things, from weight and breed restrictions for renting apartments, or just overall, having a larger dog may seem a little intimidating,” she said. “Waylon is the biggest gentle giant. I think what’s so special is Cairo really took the time to prep and he took a chance on this dog. And now they’re inseparable.”
It’s true. Hall, who currently hopes to be an actor or a famous hockey player when he grows up (other recent aspirations include engineer and chess player), created an Instagram page named @waylonandcai to share their adventures together, which will include attending a dog-friendly minor league game and a summer vacation to the beach.
In the meantime, they’re enjoying playing tug of war, training and cuddling, which is one of Waylon’s favorite activities — along with eating treats, according to Hall.
“He’s always hungry. I think all dogs are always hungry,” he said. “And when he wants to go outside, he’ll start climbing up on the chair when I’m just relaxing and will get on me and start licking me.”
His mom, Marvy Hall, is glad that on the day they were “just looking” at potential dogs to adopt, they found Waylon.
“It’s been nice seeing Cairo so happy and busy with him,” she said. “It’s just fun.”
Her son hopes other people will consider adopting a shelter dog since his experience has been so positive.
“You should really adopt a dog — any breed,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a pit bull or a Dobermann — you should always adopt a dog. They’re amazing.”
