Chico -- Now Pogo

Chico (now named Pogo) was a 1.5 year old Dogo Argentino that was surrendered to our shelter because the owner could no longer afford the veterinary bills. He came to us with infected skin and ears and he had severely ulcerated eyes. On top of this, Chico was deaf! Despite all of his ailments Chico was an extremely friendly dog that loved people and doggy playmates. The first time we put him in our front play yard he was in heaven! He ran his 95 pound body at full speed around our yard knocking over anything and everything that was in his path! Chico was a purely happy gentle giant! Even though Chico had such a great personality he still wasn't easily adoptable because of his special needs. He needed a lot of training, constant medical attention and a loving, patient home. We were so lucky when MyraJean and her family walked through our door and told us they were ready for the challenge. They knew they had A LOT of work ahead of them but for Chico they were willing to give it a go.

Pogo is an absolute dream. He has become a BIG part of our family and he is so well behaved. He is going to Canine College where he is already in intermediate classes as well as finishing up some private lessons, mostly to deal with some residual habits from his previous life experience. He is better behaved than any hearing dog I have yet shared my life with. Although he is technically the younger brother, his mellow presence has helped his new best little friend Huxley with his behaviour and attitude. Our friends and family have all fallen in love with him and our vet now considers him a favourite visitor. He is off his eye meds and along with some food modification seems to have resolved his eye issues fully. He has absolutely filled the BIG DOG hole that I had in my heart. On a side note - Thank you for what you're doing at RAPS. I know that Pogo would not likely have survived a more traditional shelter experience. We love RAPS!

MyraJean Marshall

Buddy

Just an update on Buddy and his first week with his new family!

I'll start by saying what a wonderful new friend/family member we have. He is kind and gentle and always makes me smile. He came home on Monday evening, Oct 6. He seemed unsure at first, a little hesitant and shy. This was completely understandable - I would be too, in the same
situation. We brought him in the living room where our cat, Stupie waited. She put her back up and tried to be afraid, but when Buddy totally ignored her she soon realized that there was nothing to fear. It took about 20 minutes of his ignoring her before she decided enough of this and snuggled up to him. They have been pals since. The first night went well with Buddy all cuddled in his bed in the living room. All was quiet. When I got up the next morning he was all wiggly-happy with tail wagging a-mile-a-minute. I guess he didn't expect to see the same person again. How very sad I felt for him; the psychological damage was done, he had been abandoned and it had clearly affected him.

My husband (Dan), son (Jeff) and I all got ready for work and headed out. It was to be Buddy's first full day in his new home and he was alone. Dan and I walked to the skytrain to head downtown to work. Suddenly Dan was not feeling well and had to return home. I continued on my way. Minutes later my cell rang - it was Dan. It turned out that our new friend was pretty sneaky and made sure that he waited until there were no people at home before raiding the fridge! Since it had only been about 3 or 4 minutes before Dan returned home, there was not much damage done - only one package of wieners eaten. Dan stayed home that day and installed a bolt on the fridge door. That problem solved! We set up the cam on the computer the next morning to record his attempts at raiding the fridge. Sure enough, the recording shows him going to the fridge and trying, but of course he had no luck.

Of course he enjoys his walks and does well both on and off leash. He is obedient in his malamute way - which means that he will listen and obey, but usually in his own good time! We brush him quite frequently (which he needs) and of course he loves that. What is really neat though, is that Dan discovered that Buddy loves to be vacuumed! In fact, he almost insists on it. If the vacuum is on he comes right up and pushes his way in front of it until you give in and vacuum him too. He is not sure about having his nails clipped though and seems a little frightened by it, but he'll get used to that too.

Buddy still has moments when he looks to be sad and his thoughts are somewhere far away. Those 'looks' are becoming fewer as time progresses and it has only been a week since he came to our home. I can only hope that with time he forgets all about being abandoned and only thinks about how loved he is now.

Dawn Ackles