Most pups seem to draw comfort from plush toys, clinging to them like a source of security. Anyone who’s spent time around dogs has seen the way they curl up with a stuffed animal as if it were a trusted friend.

In shelters, that bond becomes even more important. For many dogs, a single toy ends up being their only steady companion within the confines of a kennel.

Life inside a shelter is rarely calm. The air is filled with constant barking, the shuffle of people, and very little quiet. It’s a stressful environment to endure for days, let alone years.

That was exactly the world Wally knew. A longtime resident of the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter (TOHAS) in New York, he spent more than 1,800 days waiting there.

Yet Wally discovered his own unusual way of coping with the chaos. Inst

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