For Rami the dog, the story begins in south Georgia, where he’s found wandering in a backyard.
He’s the offspring of the most unlikely of canine partners — the short legged, long bodied dachshund and the larger, stronger pit bull.
The pit bull- dachshund mix’s look brings him attention at a local shelter, where his picture goes viral. Adoption offers and fame pour in.
“It is a true pit bull head on a dachshund body,” Dawn Blanton of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society said last month.
Fast forward to weeks later, and Rami’s now a top dog.
Not only does he have his own Facebook page with more than 4,000 followers, he is also featured on a T-shirt.
And instead of giving him up for adoption to the thousands of people who’ve applied, the Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society has made him its ambassador.
His mission: become a therapy dog and bring awareness about unique pets in shelters everywhere.
“Now I’m going to get the training I need to be a certified therapy dog so I can visit more kids in schools and hospitals, and even the elderly in the nursing homes,” reads a post on his Facebook page.
And the pup has a message for those worried about him: don’t be.
“Please be assured that I am being well taken care of and loved,” the post says.
“At night I go to my other home where I can play and sleep with my fosters! No more worries as a dog on the street, now I have food in my tummy, a warm cozy bed, and lots of friends and most important … LOVE!!”
When his popularity skyrocketed, the shelter carefully considered his adoption. It did not want him to become a freak show.
Rami’s celebrity status has reportedly increased adoptions at the shelter.
His picture posted on the shelter’s Facebook page has more than 2.4 million hits, Blanton told CNN affiliate WALB.
And the pup’s taking his ambassador role seriously: His page features photos of him sending off fellow animals to new owners.