RESCUE TAILS / Brownie’s Lucky Number is 4

-Contributed by the FKSPCA Staff

Four months ago Brownie was surrendered to our Marathon Campus when his family had a baby and his young dog energy was just too much for a now mobile toddler. He meant no harm by his playfulness and eagerness to interact with this new creature that recently started walking. In fact, that was his baby brother! Now that he was up and moving about, instead of just lying down or crawling, he was even more fun to be around. Understandably, concerned new parents didn’t see it that way, and Brownie was placed for adoption at our Marathon Campus.

One month later we met a wonderful young couple interested in Brownie. He was exactly the type of dog they were looking for; young, playful, funny, full of energy. We agreed and thought Brownie would make a great companion for their young, outgoing lifestyle. As with all adoptions they met with an adoption counselor who discussed not only all of his great qualities, but a few of the things we’d noticed along the way. Most notable, his “mouthiness” which is a general term that describes when a dog puts unwanted objects in the mouth which include leashes, and the occasional arm. It was in no way a “bite” but rather a soft mouth when overstimulated or overly excited. After their counseling session, Brownie went to family number two.

Satisfied that we had made a great match for Brownie, it was quite surprising when Brownie was returned two weeks later for, you guessed it, being too “mouthy.” Despite discussing this behavior during their adoption meet n greet, and referrals to our free behavior helpline, it just wasn’t working out. That’s okay! We knew Brownie’s behavior existed and it would just take the right person or family to come along to be willing to keep up with his training and work through it.

So, once again, about a month later family number three walked in the door. With experience with large breed dogs, and another adoption briefing Brownie was adopted once again with the same set of instructions. He is sweet, playful, dog friendly, excitable, trainable and wonderful, but he can be a bit “mouthy.” With consistency that he desperately needed after so much change in such a short time, proper reward based training, and free assistance along the way with our behavior helpline, these undesirable behaviors would be easy to manage with just a little time, patience and work.

Two weeks or so passed by and once again Brownie was returned. However; we refused defeat. He was a good dog. A very good dog indeed. A young, trainable, happy, friendly dog. Although we had met great families, and made good matches, it just hadn’t worked out the way we hoped it would.

I first met Deanna and her husband Stephen three years ago when they adopted a high energy young Shepherd/Husky mix “Scarlett” from our Marathon Campus. With two young boys, she and her husband weren’t fazed by bringing in an additional level of energy into their already active life. Between her active boys and the nice plot of land she has in an otherwise crowded island, Scarlett had been a great addition to her family. So when they reached out regarding Brownie I was over the moon excited. But would adding another young active dog to an already active household be too much?

Thankfully Deanna and Stephen weren’t concerned about it at all. They knew that Scarlett needed a playmate to match her energy and their young boys needed another friend. During the initial meet n greet everyone was having a blast. He played hard with both the dogs, and the kids and the parents. It was like reuniting a family. Without hesitation, Brownie’s adoption papers were signed for the final time and in four months, he was with his fourth and furrever family. Her update was exactly what we wanted to hear! “So you know how Brownie was supposed to be “Stephen’s”? He is a TOTAL mommy’s boy attached to me like my shadow. Whining when I leave the room and close the door, wants to lay with me on the couch while I read etc. if I’m home, he’s at my hip. First two days have been completely fine. He’s met the cats and responded curious, but good with them. He’s been great with the kids, he’s great on walks and he hasn’t even been super mouthy. I was actually really impressed with how good he’s been on walks. I know we’ve got stuff to work on but he’s really sweet and he’s fitting in well! All the neighbors immediately came over (and their kids) to meet him and he’s been welcomed with open arms. He’s got a tribe now!”

Stability, consistency, proper positive training, routine, exercise of the mind and body are all critical to the development of a happy, well socialized and happy dog. Your dog does not reach adulthood until the age of 2 years old. From the age of 1-2 years your dog is a “teenager” which is often when owners notice “behavioral issues” that may have been underlying, unaddressed or even new. This is why the majority of dogs at our shelters end up being surrendered between the age of 1-2 years old for behavior. Learning how to recognize, address and even cope with behavior issues is entirely possible and we’re here to help! You can contact our free behavioral helpline with any questions, concerns or problems by emailing [email protected] or calling 305-294-4857. We’re here to keep you and your pet together.

Thank you!

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