In the play areas and kennels at the Austin Animal Center, buckets are always ready for cleaning. But that’s not what Centaur sees when he looks at the bucket – he sees a special place just for him.
The quirky dog arrived at the shelter as a stray on St. Patrick’s Day and his antics have delighted staff since.
“Centaur is a complete fool,” Kelsey Cler, marketing and communications program manager at the Austin Animal Center, tells The Dodo. “He’s smart and has a lot of energy, so the longer he’s here, he starts to struggle in the shelter. He likes to play catch, and once he’s energized, he’s a big hugger.”
Centaur first spotted his beloved bucket in early May, when Texas was going through an unusual heatwave. “I think he was just trying to cool his little kid in the water,” Claire said.
When the shelter posted a photo on Facebook of a 4-year-old dog in a bucket, viewers started a campaign to give Centaur its own kids’ pool. They happily agreed – trusting that the puppy would be excited to have more room to frolic.
However, his reaction was beyond their expectations.
Even with the pool available, Centaur is still drawn to his bucket. After all, it’s just the right size. “When we released Centaur a few weeks ago, some of you suggested (reasonably) giving him a swimming pool,” Austin Animal Center wrote on Facebook. “Well, it turns out Centaur is a qualified weirdo… Come and get yourself a dog with personality!”
After a month, Centaur is finally warming up in his children’s pool and dividing his time equally between it and the bucket. “He absolutely loves the pool right now,” Claire said. “He especially likes to dangle in the pool, and of course, once he’s out, he’s going to roll in the dirt.”
“[But] Even with the pool, he still likes to go to the bucket,” she added.
The Centaur is a loving and easygoing dog, but even with all his charisma, he still can’t find a permanent home. Shelter staff hope to soon find the right match to give him the forever home — and forever pool — the Centaur deserves.
“He’s looking for an active family who can take him on adventures,” Claire said. “He may be a little too much with little kids because of his energy level and resilience. Whoever adopts him is the dumbest and dumbest kid ever!”
