Bullyproof
New member
Hi everyone, I'm Mike!
A very proud owner of a newly rescued 2 year old EB, her name is Kiah (Kee-ah). My poor girl has lived a very rough life. I have some friends down here in FL that are active with many rescue organizations. Last week I got a call from one of my friends in a panic. She had recently been contacted by a lady who absolutely had to get rid of her bully, that very day. She was unable to go down there and see her. She asked if I could go and assess the situation. She had a feeling there has been abuse and neglect. I rushed down there asap.
Upon arriving at the house, I entered the front door and there were 2 small dogs (mini pinscher/shih tzu) who were just yapping away. I eagerly looked around for Kiah and she was no where in site. She then walked me out the backdoor. I about flipped when I saw Kiah locked in a cage outside, panting with no water and dirty blankets. I live in S. FL and it was at least 85 degrees outside. I asked her about the situation and she was very hesitant to tell me what had gone on. I immediately suspected neglect and abuse. She did tell me that the dog had only been to the vet once and has yet to receive her second set of vaccines (She turned 2 in Dec). I had a long list of questions for this lady and she was very hesitant on saying anything. I was finally able to get some info out of her and she said there was an altercation with Kiah and the mini about a year and a half ago and Kiah has been OUTSIDE ever since! They never corrected the behavior and Kiahs' dog aggression continued to grow into territorial and fear, plus some dominance issues. Right then and there I knew I was taking the the dog out of this situation to foster her if anything else. The lady did tell me that she doesn't like strangers and she probably won't come come out to meet me.
I have had dogs since I was 4, I'm very used to all their mannerisms, training, aggression, issues, etc etc. My last dog, Jake, passed away 2 years ago at the ripe old age of 18, we played fetch the morning he passed...
I got to the side of the cage and let her come to me, she got right up and started to sniff, after I saw she was calm I opened her cage and she came right out, sniffed and licked my hand. I knew right there this dog and I had a connection. The previous owner about hit the floor. She told me that she never did that to anyone. I almost said, ya that's what happens when you lock a dog in a cage on a back porch for over a year all whilst instilling fear. The poor dog has never actually been able to be a dog! She has been locked up since she was 6 months old, never properly trained or cared for. I bit my tongue and continued to bond with Kiah, visioning all the fun I'd hope we could have. Showing her the world and letting her experience it in a healthy environment.
I gathered what I could and immediately got her out of the situation. I was shocked to see how much she loved the car ride home. Once I got back into my town and got her out, I took her for a walk and soon realized the behavioral issue my girl has. She is very dog aggressive, she is scared of almost everything and has some territorial issues with furniture. I immediately contacted some friends and got an animal behaviorist over asap to continue to help me check for her triggers and yes she has a few. Luckily she has a calm, assertive dad who loves dogs and will do anything to help balance her. We went to the vet, all tests came back negative. Over the weekend I started to slowly reset some of her triggers. She would freak if she heard anything get dragged across the floor, now she is getting curious, just like a puppy and coming to investigate, calmly. Of course sudden movements are another story.
We had some serious issues on our walks at first, we couldn't get more than a half a block or 2, she just stayed in predator mode and didn't want to migrate. Continually trying to pull and turning on her inner Bully. I'm very happy to say that this morning we went almost 8 blocks without stopping. She is walking next to me and barely pulls. She regresses every so often, yet every walk is getting better and better. She now knows how to sit as well as the hand command. Boundaries have been set in the house and she has been respecting them fully, until she gets spooked, she tries to retreat to my bedroom, which is very high value and she knows it. She is fully grasping wait and stay and she sure does enjoy her beef/liver treats while learning :D
Sadly, this morning, our theory of her being abused has been assured. My neighbor slammed her door and Kiah went into guard mode. I raised my hand up too quickly into a sit command (I was on the phone) and she instantly cowered in fear. My heart and soul sank to the floor. The previous owners' hit her. I promise you all, she will get the help she needs. I'm dedicated to her and I want to fully rehabilitate her. My behaviorist and I agree, she may not be able to play with other does since the behavior went on for so long, but we both think we may be able to socialize her in 6-12 months. Of course in my dreams I see her running around with all the neighborhood dogs, hopefully that dream comes true.
I'm very proud of her, she has changed soooo much in just a week alone. I could go on for hours about how much she has improved, I'll save that for future threads.
I'm honored to be a part of this community, I've been reading this site for over a year and told myself I wouldn't join until my EB and I were united.
Here we are!
Thank you all for reading our story,
Kiah and Mike
A very proud owner of a newly rescued 2 year old EB, her name is Kiah (Kee-ah). My poor girl has lived a very rough life. I have some friends down here in FL that are active with many rescue organizations. Last week I got a call from one of my friends in a panic. She had recently been contacted by a lady who absolutely had to get rid of her bully, that very day. She was unable to go down there and see her. She asked if I could go and assess the situation. She had a feeling there has been abuse and neglect. I rushed down there asap.
Upon arriving at the house, I entered the front door and there were 2 small dogs (mini pinscher/shih tzu) who were just yapping away. I eagerly looked around for Kiah and she was no where in site. She then walked me out the backdoor. I about flipped when I saw Kiah locked in a cage outside, panting with no water and dirty blankets. I live in S. FL and it was at least 85 degrees outside. I asked her about the situation and she was very hesitant to tell me what had gone on. I immediately suspected neglect and abuse. She did tell me that the dog had only been to the vet once and has yet to receive her second set of vaccines (She turned 2 in Dec). I had a long list of questions for this lady and she was very hesitant on saying anything. I was finally able to get some info out of her and she said there was an altercation with Kiah and the mini about a year and a half ago and Kiah has been OUTSIDE ever since! They never corrected the behavior and Kiahs' dog aggression continued to grow into territorial and fear, plus some dominance issues. Right then and there I knew I was taking the the dog out of this situation to foster her if anything else. The lady did tell me that she doesn't like strangers and she probably won't come come out to meet me.
I have had dogs since I was 4, I'm very used to all their mannerisms, training, aggression, issues, etc etc. My last dog, Jake, passed away 2 years ago at the ripe old age of 18, we played fetch the morning he passed...
I got to the side of the cage and let her come to me, she got right up and started to sniff, after I saw she was calm I opened her cage and she came right out, sniffed and licked my hand. I knew right there this dog and I had a connection. The previous owner about hit the floor. She told me that she never did that to anyone. I almost said, ya that's what happens when you lock a dog in a cage on a back porch for over a year all whilst instilling fear. The poor dog has never actually been able to be a dog! She has been locked up since she was 6 months old, never properly trained or cared for. I bit my tongue and continued to bond with Kiah, visioning all the fun I'd hope we could have. Showing her the world and letting her experience it in a healthy environment.
I gathered what I could and immediately got her out of the situation. I was shocked to see how much she loved the car ride home. Once I got back into my town and got her out, I took her for a walk and soon realized the behavioral issue my girl has. She is very dog aggressive, she is scared of almost everything and has some territorial issues with furniture. I immediately contacted some friends and got an animal behaviorist over asap to continue to help me check for her triggers and yes she has a few. Luckily she has a calm, assertive dad who loves dogs and will do anything to help balance her. We went to the vet, all tests came back negative. Over the weekend I started to slowly reset some of her triggers. She would freak if she heard anything get dragged across the floor, now she is getting curious, just like a puppy and coming to investigate, calmly. Of course sudden movements are another story.
We had some serious issues on our walks at first, we couldn't get more than a half a block or 2, she just stayed in predator mode and didn't want to migrate. Continually trying to pull and turning on her inner Bully. I'm very happy to say that this morning we went almost 8 blocks without stopping. She is walking next to me and barely pulls. She regresses every so often, yet every walk is getting better and better. She now knows how to sit as well as the hand command. Boundaries have been set in the house and she has been respecting them fully, until she gets spooked, she tries to retreat to my bedroom, which is very high value and she knows it. She is fully grasping wait and stay and she sure does enjoy her beef/liver treats while learning :D
Sadly, this morning, our theory of her being abused has been assured. My neighbor slammed her door and Kiah went into guard mode. I raised my hand up too quickly into a sit command (I was on the phone) and she instantly cowered in fear. My heart and soul sank to the floor. The previous owners' hit her. I promise you all, she will get the help she needs. I'm dedicated to her and I want to fully rehabilitate her. My behaviorist and I agree, she may not be able to play with other does since the behavior went on for so long, but we both think we may be able to socialize her in 6-12 months. Of course in my dreams I see her running around with all the neighborhood dogs, hopefully that dream comes true.
I'm very proud of her, she has changed soooo much in just a week alone. I could go on for hours about how much she has improved, I'll save that for future threads.
I'm honored to be a part of this community, I've been reading this site for over a year and told myself I wouldn't join until my EB and I were united.
Here we are!
Thank you all for reading our story,
Kiah and Mike