Meet Jake. His story with me begins with a phone call. His owner called me looking a recommendation. She had this dog that she loves dearly, but in the last 2 1/2 weeks Shadow had bitten people on four different occasions. His growling and biting was enough to cause considerable fear for the 9 year old in the house. The child would just shut herself in her room to avoid him. With this history of biting, his owner knew that a shelter or rescue was very unlikely to take him, and her only other option was to put him down. All she simply wanted was the name of a place that might help her.
Her cries of relief when I told her that I had an open space in my Rehab to Rehome program took me by surprise. After finding my voice (I can’t cry and speak at the same time), I had her fill out a form to get a full list of the things Shadow struggles with. The dog formerly known as Shadow struggles with:
- food aggression
- Unprovoked growling and lunging
- Resource guarding aggression
- Growling when told “No”
- Fear of loud noises, sudden movements, vehicles, and raised voices
- Dog aggression
- Human Aggression
- Refusal to obey
Along with a new start, Shadow gets a new name. The transformation I will be working on for Jake will be a more balanced dog. One that is more confident, more willing to cooperate, trusts people enough to follow rather than feeling the need to lead, and thus is more willing to cooperate. Then, I will begin the search for Jake’s new forever home.