Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/baby-yoda-eared-rescue-dog-peanut/

Rescue mutts are the best and can save you from “The Dark Side”, just like a rescue dog resembling Baby Yoda did for Kristen Saibini and many others.

Kristen, a volunteer dog walker at Nevada Humane Society (NHS), was grieving over the loss of her beloved dog Petey when she spotted Peanut and his big ears.

NHS is the only open-admission, no-kill shelter in the entire state of Nevada.

Peanut was surrendered by his owners who were unable to care for him and arrived with a horrible mouth infection. He was in a lot of pain and stressed. The shelter placed him in the puppy nursery to help calm him down but knew he needed to find a home.

Kristen received a text from the shelter asking if she would be interested in fostering him, and she accepted.

“He was scared. It was new for him, you know, he just been with the same family. He had a really severe mouth infection, so he wasn’t feeling his best. So I just took him in, but only intended to foster him. And after about a week, I was like, I love this little guy,” shared Peanut’s new mom.

Peanut is roughly nine years old and the question his mom gets the most is, “what kind of dog is that?!” Well, the obvious answer is an adorable mutt, but she was curious and wanted to find out more.

Kristen came up with the perfect shelter fundraiser idea, “Peanut: One Tough Mutt to Crack”. People donated to the shelter and then guessed what kind of dog Peanut is.

The DNA results were shocking. “He’s a mix of 12 different breeds but nothing that he looks like. Most people (myself included) can’t believe it and we ended up doing two different DNA tests and they came back exactly the same,” shared Kristen.

The top two breeds, which make up 50% of his DNA, are Chihuahua and Dachshund.

Surprising, right?!

People are shocked by his looks and his size. They often think he is bigger than he really is, so his mom has started to make post with him next to food items to show his true size.

The sweet and snuggly pup wins the heart of everyone he meets and is happy as long as his mom is nearby.

“He’s really kind of one of those dogs that’s up for anything as long as I’m with him, he’s like, OK, mom, let’s go. So whether it’s a walk, whether it’s going to an event to support Nevada Humane Society or another rescue, he’s just, he’s always up for whatever as long as his mom is with him.”

Peanut can be a picky eater, but his favorites are peanut butter (obviously) and almost any other human food he is allowed to try.

With a face and personality like his, it is only natural for him to have multiple nicknames.

He found his forever home and shares it with another senior rescue dog, two foster dogs, and a cat. Kristen is doing all she can to help homeless animals and Peanut is doing his part as well.

When he is not working as a therapy dog, he is attending events or raising money for the shelter that took him in. He has raised over $8,000 for homeless pets – but his work is far from over.

Peanut will continue to be a voice (or face) for the voiceless animals and hopes everyone will consider adopting.

The senior pup advocates for shelter pets every week on #wideearwednesday where he features adoptable dogs and cats at Nevada Humane Society on his Instagram page.

Peanut and his mom encourage everyone to help shelters now as they are full of homeless animals.

“If you can’t adopt, please foster, donate, volunteer or share homeless animals looking for homes on your social channels – every little bit helps! NHS has two, wonderful, volunteer professional photographers who took these pics. Another way to help homeless pets – use your skills!”

Kristen has always loved senior dogs and after seeing so many passed by at the shelter she always adopts and fosters the gray-muzzled animals. She told us, “Seniors are incredible. It all started with Petey. He was eleven. We’ve adopted 11 year olds, 12 year olds, 14 year olds. They are just incredible. You never really know what their life was like before. You don’t really know how long you’re gonna have them. And I know that scares a lot of people. But I would say if you can adopt A senior, please do. They are so full of love. They are so sweet. They know you’re helping them.”

Be sure to follow Peanut on Instagram for more adorable photos and videos.

Learn more about the handsome fella in the video below and don’t forget to share!

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog