CHIEF'S STORY



Chief was rescued by Turtle Gardens in March 2011. He was described as having a loveable goofy temperament and he fit in well with the other dogs. He was adopted to a family with 2 sons and another TG dog, in the Lower Mainland and after 6 months or so some problems started to arise with Chief that they worked so hard to fix but they couldn't get a handle on it. They contacted Turtle Gardens and after much discussion, a very hard decision was made by the family that the best thing would be for Chief to go back to Turtle Gardens. He went back in December 2011 and has been waiting patiently for a new adoptive home since then.


Chief with his buddy Rico from his previous home.

Chief was returned because he had started growling at people even from great distances away, he had bitten someones arm in front of the family home when he had gotten loose, and the family began to lose confidence in Chief and became fearful of his reaction to people coming into their home and meeting people on the street. They had worked with more than one trainer and had even gone to have him evaluated for aggression. None of these things brought about the change that was needed.  Once you start to see the dog in front of you as an aggressive case it seems to be an image that the dog will fulfill.

I first met Chief at the dog run in April 2011 and I remember him being shy/nervous with ears held back on his head and such a sweet loveable face. When the family started having troubles I went and met with them and even took Chief on a few outtings to see how he could be with some more socializing.  I carried in my head the image of him from the dog run when I first met him, not the image of the dog who was starting to get into trouble and when I took him around to different places I could see he was still a great dog but he just needed to go in a different direction.   Here is what I wrote about him for his Petfinder bio back in 2011: Chief was adopted by a lovely family with another dog. Unfortunately it seems they missed some important signals that Chief was putting out. He was being a teenager and testing boundaries and also was dealing with being insecure. They were not providing him with the boundaries he needed. He was getting good exercise and basic obedience training but he needs more confidence building for his insecure side and firm boundaries and mental challenges for his teenager, cocky side. His 4 legged brother is very happy go-lucky however he alerts to dogs and people, etc with excitement and Chief picked up on this and becomes reactive to other dogs on leash. It appears he felt that nobody was in control of the situation and started to become too focused on people and dogs and would lunge on leash to keep them away. I have spent a few days with him introducing him to new dogs and to new people and he accepts direction quite easily. He greeted everyone I asked him to. He was hesitant but still went forward to accept being petted. When introduced to a few new dogs off leash he does not get aggresive but growls a bit because he is uncertain about dogs sniffing him in return. I believe if given the right home with someone who is dog savvy and a confident leader he will be able to appreciate meeting any new situation with confidence and will become a well rounded boy again. He really is a very loveable dog. He lives with two kids and they love him to bits and when I've spent time with him he is quite submissive and affectionate. He will make a great companion for the right person. He could live in a home with another dog again but would have to have a calm, very well balanced role model.

Chief did very well when he was back at Turtle Gardens.  He got along with the other dogs and started to become more relaxed about people approaching the fence.  I have had him on my list of dogs to foster for quite a while now, but there have always been other dogs that seemed to need fostering more.  Chief was no trouble up North....so he waited. 

When I saw Chief again at the dog run this Saturday I was very happy to see him again. I'd like to say he was excited to see me but he had become so attached to Dave while at Turtle Gardens that he spent his first bit of time at the barn at the end of his leash wanting to go be with Dave. Chief watched very carefully as the van pulled away and once it was out of sight he seemed to remember me.



Here's a picture that Piper took of Chief, at
the barn, right after the van left.

Chief has come back to town as a much more relaxed dog. He was comfortable with everyone at the barn and although he growled a bit at a couple of the dogs he has still come a long way to being more dog social.  He is such an amazingly affectionate dog.  I still see an insecure side of him but that's nothing that some confidence building can't cure.  I am spending my first week with him just relaxing, walking and working on trust.  He has gone to daycare and the first morning was apparently a bit rough.  He had hackles up but by the afternoon he was playing and has been doing better every day.  

When we're walking he doesn't seem to be afraid of very much.  The only two things so far that he's shown a worry about were the Halloween scarecrows in front of Save-On-Foods and the ceiling fans at home.  He barked his head off at the scarecrows so we moved along.  In the first couple of days he seems pretty relaxed but then all of a sudden would notice the ceiling fan and he'd stare at it like he was waiting for it to jump down at him.  I got up on the bed and moved it around and showed him there was no problem and he seems to be fine with it now.  More work with the scarecrows later...we have until the end of the month for him to make friends with them.

On the first night at my place he got up every hour during the night.  He'd get off of his bed, come over to me and stare and wag his tail.  I think he was probably getting up every time I tossed or turned and he must have thought that was the right time to get some attention or he was thinking it might be the signal of time to get up.  The second night was much better, he only woke me up at 3:00 and when I told him to go back to bed he went and laid down again but proceeded to wag his tail which of course was beating up against the wall....tap tap tap tap...'I'm happy you're awake'.   For the last couple of nights he has been lights out all night and no waking me up.  For which I'm very grateful - 'thanks Chief'.  

He is very mellow in the house and just lays down nearby.  As I type this blog he alternates between laying on the floor by my feet or on the couch.

Chief is a very loving dog.  He travels well in the car, is quiet and rarely barks, he thinks he is a lap dog and he actually finds a way to prove to me that he can be on the couch with me as a lap dog and we can both be comfortable still.  He is going to be an awesome and loyal companion for some lucky person.  I look forward to writing more about him in the next while and showing everyone how great he is and how far in the past his history is.  

Today...after work and dog daycare.  Chief is dying for
me to let him in the house, but nope you have to have
your picture taken first...so I'm getting the 'look'.

You got the picture can we go in now?