HANCEVILLE — The City of Hanceville has a new unofficial mascot — and while he may not be a bulldog, he’s already fitting in with local Bulldogs fans just fine.

City hall staff are making their first acquaintances with a rescue pup named Hancen (say “MMMBop” and pronounce it Hanson), who picked up the name as a nod to Hance Kinney, the city’s founding namesake. City clerk Tania Wilcox, along with city hall staffers Jessica Price and Kim Reburn, took the mixed-breed fella in a couple of weeks ago after he’d been picked up as a stray — and he’s been snouting his way into employees’ hearts ever since.

According to Wilcox, an inmate at the Hanceville city jail actually thought up the name, as Hancen was making his early rounds through the building and getting to know his new two-legged friends. After seeing the animal’s gentle disposition, no one (including mayor Kenneth Nail) had any objections — either to the name or to testing the dog’s ability to intermingle with the folks at city hall. So on Wednesday, after a good bath, Hancen spent his first night indoors at city hall in Wilcox’s office.

“He’d been here for two weeks, but he’s been outside in the kennel where stray dogs stay until they get sent to the pound,” said Wilcox Thursday. “But we got him inside and yesterday gave him his first bath, and put the harness back on him — and he’s just been good as gold.

“Last night was his first night not to have to stay in the kennel, and I was afraid of what I might find when I came into the office this morning. But he didn’t leave any kind of mess; he didn’t move anything around. He just slept and, I guess, kept watch. We think he’s gonna be a good sniffing dog!”

Hancen’s not even the first “city dog” (as Wilcox calls him) to take up residence at city hall. A few years back, a black mixed-breed doggo named Ted was welcomed into the fold at city hall — but his high-energy and anxious temperament compelled the city to find him an adopted home in the country, where he could stretch his legs without causing an indoor ruckus.

“Ted was great — he pranced like a Tennessee walking horse; he was just so cool. He really was tops, but he was just so anxious and rambunctious. He needed more space, so we had to find him a home. Hancen is the first dog we’ve done this with since Ted,” Wilcox explained.

While Hancen doesn’t have any special training as a therapy animal (and no one at city hall is making the claim), his docile demeanor and willingness to make fast friends has certainly raised his status as the kind of dog who can brighten people’s day. Wilcox says Hancen, who’s always supervised during office hours, makes the rounds during the day to bring some welcome stress relief to office-bound dispatchers, office assistants, and even inmates.

“He is so laid back, and he’s great with people, and he wants to be friends. He’s gentle,” Wilcox said. “People who are stuck to a desk, like our dispatcher, they enjoy seeing him coming. He’s a good mascot.”

When he’s not greeting people, Hancen hangs out in Wilcox’s office, where the peaceful pup mostly enjoys lounging around on the plush pile rug, playing with his new toys, and occasionally standing watch in front of the plate glass door to see if anyone special is coming in from outside.

Wilcox suspects the demure and sometimes shy animal may have come to city hall from an abusive past, but if that’s the case, his future looks much brighter.

“Everybody who’s met him thinks he was definitely abused,” she said. “He’s scared to death when he first meets some people, and he’s afraid of doors; of going into an unfamiliar room. But all that’s behind him, and he seems really happy here.”