Please please please find this loving dog a home...

[Rocky998]

A few years ago, we decided to foster a dog named scrappy doo, he is supposed to be a shepherd terrier mix but we did a DNA test on him to find out that he Is mostly Staffordshire Terrier with some boxer and other breeds... He is a VERY sweet dog a learns very quickly. His last owner was a female and seems to be a bit more aggressive with females because his last owner chained him outside and never let the dog in for a thing (storms and all). When he came to our house he went straight to the back door and he was afraid of the TV, but he slowly warmed up. He SEEMS to be ok with other dogs but I cant be sure... I trained him to sit in one day, thats all... it took 3 days for him to learn stay and 1 day to learn to jump and take a a very short (less than a foot long) pole from my hand. He is very sweet but his aggression was mis-understood... I would not recommend him for kids under the age of 10 just because he is very protective (too protective) over small children or it may go opposite and the child may annoy him... But my brother annoyed that dog so much and he didnt do much other than let out a small growl. All I ask is that you check out this page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/scrappy-doo-48728332/nc/new-bern/colonial-capital-humane-society-nc83/... And see if maybe you can foster or adopt this mis understood animal. One other thing, he gets very attached once he has been with you for a while and will protect his family. Our deciding factor on giving him back was when someone asked to pet him (a young woman) and my dad said yes... Scrappy took a snap (not a nip) at her. He takes random people as a threat so do take that into consideration. Other than that he is an amazing dog and with some training, I think he would be an outstanding police dog... He is also not an apartment dog, he has a ton of energy and loves to play ball (you can train him with a ball in your hand). If not exercised, he will show playful aggression, and he does not know how to play rough because he has never had puppy interaction. So, he is a bit rougher when jumping and playful biting.

 

[Colin_T]

Our deciding factor on giving him back was when someone asked to pet him (a young woman) and my dad said yes... Scrappy took a snap (not a nip) at her. He takes random people as a threat so do take that into consideration.

That unfortunately is going to make life difficult for the dog and probably cause it to be put down. Most animal shelters like dogs that are good with all people and usually euthanise any that shows even mild aggression to any person. Maybe the shelter that has him is different but in Australia he would probably be put down for that .

It's also the same reason the Police wouldn't keep him. They want dogs that will eat a bad guy but not maul a kid or person walking by.

Anyway, lets hope someone who has had dogs before can take him and he doesn't end up on death row.

 

[Rocky998]

That unfortunately is going to make life difficult for the dog and probably cause it to be put down. Most animal shelters like dogs that are good with all people and usually euthanise any that shows even mild aggression to any person. Maybe the shelter that has him is different but in Australia he would probably be put down for that .

It's also the same reason the Police wouldn't keep him. They want dogs that will eat a bad guy but not maul a kid or person walking by.

Anyway, lets hope someone who has had dogs before can take him and he doesn't end up on death row.

This shelter is a "no kill" shelter... they have had some of those dogs for years

 

[Colin_T]

This shelter is a "no kill" shelter... they have had some of those dogs for years

good

 

[Deleted member 149562]

The dog was almost certainly taken from his mother far too early and did not learn social skills from her as all pups do if left a minimum of 8 to 10 weeks with their mother

There isn't a dog that is truly impossible to rehab. The biggest barrier is the amount of time needed to rehab an unsocialised dog.

If the dog is to be adopted it must go as a solo animal in the home, absolutely no children or teenagers and someone who is at home all day, ie, not working.

From your description I would hazard a guess that the dog will never be 100% socialised and the saddest part is that its through no fault of its own. A single person on a one to one basis, you would be looking at an average of 18 months to two years to have the dog at a level where it is no longer mouthy and no longer showing timid aggression.

Timid aggression takes longer to cure than food/object aggression and almost always stems from being removed from mother too early, poor or no training by the initial human trainer/owner and frequently due to physical abuse at an early age.

Lovely looking dog but will be very hard to rehome successfully.

 

[Rocky998]

I have very good news! He has recently been adopted and is doing well... I know nothing else other than that.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

This shelter is a "no kill" shelter... they have had some of those dogs for years

good

This makes me desperately sad. Stuck in a row of kennels for years without an owner is no life for a dog While I hate the US shelters that put down perfectly healthy dogs, barely giving them a chance to be adopted, there are some occasions where I think it's the kinder thing to let them pass peacefully if they're too dangerous to be rehomed, and face a life of nothing but kennels and a short walk daily if it's lucky... with different people coming and going, and no one person as his/her special person. Dogs bond to us so much, it's tragic to think of an animal spending years like that.

Sometimes people go to far in their determination not to put down a dog, no matter what. Even dogs that have mauled children to death wind up with campaigns to "save the dog", wanting to keep it alive, but what sort of life will it have?

I also have feelings about people who have a dog that they know full well is aggressive and a threat, and they dump the problem onto someone else....

I have very good news! He has recently been adopted and is doing well... I know nothing else other than that.

I'm happy for you, I hope that it's a good home! Do you know anything about the potential adopters?

Any chance you can share a photo of him? The ad was pulled before I got to see him!

 

[GaryE]

Getting a messed up dog is a lot of work. I got my retriever one week short of 9 years of age. The first time she had been in a house was at the rescue, where the people were fantastic in dealing with an almost dead, badly abused kennel breeder. Now, she's just short of 14, and has finally learned to 'dog' at maybe 75%. There is a lot this dog (5 years alone in a kennel) can't do in terms of affection, and the usual retriever stuff, but she is a great companion and still shows instincts coming out even at her advancing age. This old dog keeps finding elements of herself, and it is a joy to watch when it happens.

 

[Rocky998]

This makes me desperately sad. Stuck in a row of kennels for years without an owner is no life for a dog While I hate the US shelters that put down perfectly healthy dogs, barely giving them a chance to be adopted, there are some occasions where I think it's the kinder thing to let them pass peacefully if they're too dangerous to be rehomed, and face a life of nothing but kennels and a short walk daily if it's lucky... with different people coming and going, and no one person as his/her special person. Dogs bond to us so much, it's tragic to think of an animal spending years like that.

Sometimes people go to far in their determination not to put down a dog, no matter what. Even dogs that have mauled children to death wind up with campaigns to "save the dog", wanting to keep it alive, but what sort of life will it have?

I also have feelings about people who have a dog that they know full well is aggressive and a threat, and they dump the problem onto someone else....


I'm happy for you, I hope that it's a good home! Do you know anything about the potential adopters?

Any chance you can share a photo of him? The ad was pulled before I got to see him!

Sadly we do not know where he is going but we heard that he is doimg good and he has a home so it still makes me happy!

I always save photos from amy dog we've had! Of course I can share!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Getting a messed up dog is a lot of work. I got my retriever one week short of 9 years of age. The first time she had been in a house was at the rescue, where the people were fantastic in dealing with an almost dead, badly abused kennel breeder. Now, she's just short of 14, and has finally learned to 'dog' at maybe 75%. There is a lot this dog (5 years alone in a kennel) can't do in terms of affection, and the usual retriever stuff, but she is a great companion and still shows instincts coming out even at her advancing age. This old dog keeps finding elements of herself, and it is a joy to watch when it happens.

Bless you for taking her on!

It's very hard to take on a dog that has been badly abused and never known safety and a person they can rely on. Building that bond and trust may take years, as you've seen, and never be quite like a dog you raised from a pup. But as you say, knowing she can spend her remaining years in comfort and safety, with affection on her terms, is wonderful!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Sadly we do not know where he is going but we heard that he is doimg good and he has a home so it still makes me happy!

I always save photos from amy dog we've had! Of course I can share!
View attachment 155232View attachment 155233

aaww, he's beautiful!

What were the DNA test results again? I can see the shepherd of course, but that photo where he's lying down and facing the camera, his head shape makes me wonder if there's some Akita in him. Would contribute to wariness around strangers too.

The new owner were told about his bite history, weren't they?

 

[Rocky998]

aaww, he's beautiful!

What were the DNA test results again? I can see the shepherd of course, but that photo where he's lying down and facing the camera, his head shape makes me wonder if there's some Akita in him. Would contribute to wariness around strangers too.

The new owner were told about his bite history, weren't they?

He was listed as shepherd/terrier but only the terrier portion was right...
He was mostly American Staffordshire with boxer... The fragment parts were like bull dog and golden retriever (very little of the GR)

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

He was listed as shepherd/terrier but only the terrier portion was right...
He was mostly American Staffordshire with boxer... The fragment parts were like bull dog and golden retriever (very little of the GR)

Ahh! It's the boxer mixed with the staffie giving him that head shape then! Looks very akita like, don't you think?
I'm happy for you that he's found a home. Fingers crossed they're experienced and can work with him to reduce his reactivity.

 

[Rocky998]

Ahh! It's the boxer mixed with the staffie giving him that head shape then! Looks very akita like, don't you think?
I'm happy for you that he's found a home. Fingers crossed they're experienced and can work with him to reduce his reactivity.

I havent seen too many akitas so I forget the headshape... But it very well could be!

 

[Deleted member 149562]

If you take on a shelter dog, the easiest way to train them is clicker training.....especially a mouthy adult dog that was either never trained or taken away from mum and littermates too early

Unsocialised dogs tend to react better to the clicker than just vocal commands, it still takes time and patience but the dog does curb any aggression or fear of humans much quicker.

Years ago when I worked alongside shelters and retrained their more aggressive dogs for rehoming, I came across a very old Alaskan Malamute.

She had been subject to a cruelty removal case, we estimated her age at around 12-14 years old. She was completely unsocialised, unhousetrained and covered in thick matts. She snarled and snapped at everything and everyone, which isn't natural behaviour for a Malamute. I sat in a corner of her kennel with her every day, all day for about 6 weeks, slowly building her trust. She was hard work added to that she was arthritic and almost blind. I could not bear to see this old lady all alone, so after we gained each other's trust I took her home, gave her very basic clicker training....mainly for her to let me know when she needed a pee or poo and to keep her calm around strangers. She stayed with me for a little over 2 years and passed away quietly in her sleep one night. She would never have lived that long had she been left in her old home and definitely not had she been left in the shelter kennel.

Some might say that a dog of her age and with her medical needs should have been euthanised, but I couldn't leave her to that fate, she deserved some love and affection in her twilight years, she deserved to know what it felt like to be loved. She would sit on my lap - which was interesting since Malamutes are far from lap dog size - rest her head on my shoulder and just quietly murmur to herself, she was a beautiful dog and she missed out on so much in her life, it was an honour and a pleasure to give her a good home for a few years, she was happy, she was comfortable and she was loved.

Visiting shelters is all too easy to go straight for the pups.....there are some awesome older dogs who deserve just as much love and cuddles as the pups but who get overlooked and ignored and to me that is so wrong cos that old mutt with its greying muzzle can give you as much unconditional love and affection as any tiny puppy can...sometimes more than a puppy.