Painfully honest pet adoption ad gains attention for ‘demonic’ chihuahua

A widely viewed pet adoption ad on social media has gotten a lot of attention for Prancer, a 2-year-old chihuahua described as a “Chucky doll in a dog’s body.”

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Foster owner Tyfanee Fortuna has tried repeatedly to find a match for Prancer. She decided to take a more frank approach this time:

“I’ve tried for the last several months to post this dog for adoption and make him sound... palatable,” she wrote. “The problem is, he’s just not. There’s not a very big market for neurotic, man-hating, animal-hating, children-hating dogs that look like gremlins. But I have to believe there’s someone out there for Prancer, because I am tired and so is my family. Every day we live in the grips of the demonic Chihuahua hellscape he has created in our home.”

Prancer is available for adoption through Second Chance Pet Adoption League in Morris Plains, New Jersey. The animal shelter said it has potential adopters from across the country interested but they are looking for local applicants, Today reported.

“If you’ve always wanted your own haunted Victorian child in the body of a small dog that hates men and children, please email njwoof@cs.com,” Fortuna wrote. “Oh, also he’s only 2 yrs old and will probably live to be 21 through pure spite, so take that into account if you’re interested.”

Fortuna said Prancer showed up obese and wearing a cashmere sweater with bacon, egg and cheese stuffed into his crate, indications she “should have known in that moment this dog would be a problem.”

Prancer’s previous owner was an older woman who infantilized him and did not socialize him.

“Sprinkle in a little genetic predisposition for being nervous, and you’ve concocted a neurotic mess, aka Prancer,” Fortuna said. “His first week he was too terrified to have a personality. As awful as it sounds, I kind of liked him better that way. He was quiet, and just laid on the couch. Didn’t bother anyone. I was excited to see him come out of his shell and become a real dog. I am convinced at this point he is not a real dog, but more like a vessel for a traumatized Victorian child that now haunts our home.”

Despite his drawbacks, Prancer is a loyal companion.

“He likes to go for car rides, he is housebroken, he knows a few basic commands, he is quiet and non destructive when left alone at home, and even though we call him ‘bologna face’ he is kind of cute to look at,” Fortuna said. “He also ‘smiles’ when he is excited.”

The ad has generated a lot of interest in him and other “misunderstood little ones” available at the shelter.

“We have had lots of lovely, well-meaning people inquiring, and we hope that every one of them goes to their local shelter or rescue and opens their home to a needy dog like Prancer ... well, maybe not just like Prancer, but there are so many homeless dogs in need,” Stephanie Pearl, with the shelter, told Today.

Cox Media Group