Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello all, we have a dog that has been in our care for over one year and we have run out of options for her. She is a 5-year-old pointer mix that we recused fromt a severe cruelty case in the DFW area. She has been in foster for about 9 months and has made some small improvments..but not many. Her foster stated the following--

"Since coming to me Pickles has made slow but steady progress. When he first came to me, he was terrified, even in his kennel, and preferred to isolate himself rather than be anywhere near me.  He soiled his kennel and the house in the beginning, preferring that to going outside.   Now he doesn't potty in the house (choosing to use the doggie door) nor bolt every time I get near him. He no longer buries his food nor hoards toys. He bonded immediately with my own dogs, and he continues to interact in positive ways with them.  He will now even play in front of me when I am home.   He knows the prompt for meal times and does his happy circle doggie dance. He no longer avoids me, but he still doesn't want to be petted. He will never be a "snuggly" dog, but he is very happy just being a dog – with other dogs. I would like to give him a chance to be that dog. He would be ideal as a second dog for a family who needs it. He would also be a good "farm" style dog, if he has other animals to be with and a safe spot indoors to sleep"

We are looking to see if there is a special rescue or sanctuary to help the sweet girl lead a successful life! Any advice or suggestions?
#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

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Adam Whisman
Foster Coordinator
Humane Society of North Texas
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Hi Adam! Have you tried marketing her to adopters as a "dog for your dog?" Make sure her bio is really good at highlighting her strengths. I've had several fosters whose behavior sounds similar to Pickles, and all were adopted to people who had other dogs that needed a companion. The most recent, Doris, had just begun to approach us for a pet or two. I wasn't hopeful about her chances of finding an adopter quite yet, but then a woman inquired about her. She'd had two dogs, and one had passed several months before. Her remaining dog had sunk into a bit of a depression, and she was worried. She wanted to find him a companion right away, but it was the holidays and adoptions had picked up. She'd found the perfect dog several times but all had been adopted right as she inquired. Anyway, she ended up coming over one day and sitting in our yard for hours while I told her about Doris. She was incredibly patient and understanding as Doris slowly became confident enough to get within a few feet of her. We did a lot of adoption counseling/talking about how to manage her while they were getting to know her (use a drag leash the first week, how to slowly help her get comfortable walking on a leash, etc.) and they ended up adopting her.  She's now their other dog's BFF! I'm happy to chat further if needed-- you can email me at duer@maddiesfund.org anytime.

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Kelly Duer
Senior Outreach Specialist
Maddie's Fund
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My dog is similar to Pickles. She took a long time to come around and still does not like snuggles and prefers to be left alone. I tell everybody she's more like a cat than a dog! So in addition to what Kelly suggested, you could also try marketing her as "the perfect dog for cat people" or "the perfect dog for cat people looking to branch out into dogs".  :)

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M Saucedo
GIS Analyst
Pets for Life
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