RESCUE TAILS / Teddy the Shar-pei

By Tammy Fox, Executive Director, Florida Keys SPCA

 

When we first met Teddy, he was a mix of scabs, sores, and warning growls. He was brought to us because he was “aggressive to people” which we easily believed, based on his behavior.  But we suspected that behind all those threatening warnings was a very frightened dog, as is often the case.

We learned that Teddy was originally from Virginia and approximately eight-years-old.   Perhaps he had been owned by a military family at one time, which was how he found himself in Key West.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell us.  Getting to know Teddy was a slow, challenging process. He had bitten more than once during vet visits, so building trust while treating his bad skin and VERY badly infected ears meant one step forward, two steps back with each treatment. But time, patience, and perseverance worked.  His skin and ears began to heal, and his trust in us grew. Underneath all that Shar-pei bravado was an incredibly sweet dog. Eventually, he began to come out of hiding.

Teddy became a staff favorite.  With his wrinkly face and tiny, squinty eyes, there was just something endearing about him. Teddy loved his stuffed toys, which seemed to give him a sense of security. He would take one with him whenever he left his kennel. Usually, his little white lamb, but his orange elephant and green crocodile were also favorites. As time passed, Teddy became playful and affectionate.

The shelter often works with reputable breed rescues when we have specific breeds that we need to place.  A Shar-pei contact in Florida we knew told us about a friend in the Shar-pei network up north who also lived part-time in Key West and was currently in town.  Laura agreed to come and meet Teddy. We liked her, she liked him, and he liked her, so it was agreed that sending him back to Virginia with her would be his best option. She would foster him until a permanent home could be found.

Teddy moved in with Laura, her husband, and their other Shar-peis. The northern climate suited him and he looked better than ever. Unfortunately, finding Teddy a forever home didn’t go as smoothly as hoped for. He did get adopted but it turned out that our sweet but sensitive boy had some separation anxiety.  After de-constructing the doors of his new adopters’ house, he was returned to Laura.

Several months later, another family came along, fell in love with Teddy and it seems to be working. In his adopters’ words: “Teddy just got back from meeting  the cross country team, mingled with 50 kids, and ran a couple laps around the lake with them. He’s doing fantastic. He is very happy and has settled right in… we are so crazy about him, he is such a good dog!!!”  (exclamation marks ALL theirs!)

Sometimes it takes several tries to find the right home. Hopefully Teddy has done just that!

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