grovrat
WILLA2
Meet Willa; A prime example of one of those animals who has suffered in silence. Willa is a darling, spayed, two year old Shepherd/Shar Pei mix with the most expressive, comical ears you have ever seen and a set of goofy webbed feet to match. And to those who meet her for the first time, Willa is a submissive, loving little girl who rolls over for belly rubs and can't wait to meet new people.
Other than some hair loss due to a low thyroid which is now on the mend with a very inexpensive daily medication, you wouldn't see the scars of Willa's abuse until you get to know her and until you meet with her trainer who has helped us to unravel the mystery of Willa's horrific past.
Willa came to us when one of our volunteer members was introduced to her at a county shelter, just days before she was to be euthanized. She caught the attention of our volunteer when the shelter workers tried to take her out for a walk and Willa flattened herself to the ground, with no clue what it meant to be on the end of a leash. Willa's behavior, combined with the fact that she had virtually no hair, compelled those of at Take Me Home to spare her life and get to the bottom of her needs.
Medically, Willa's needs were simple: complete hair loss due to low thyroid which is 100% curable with daily medication. But psychologically, Willa's needs were still a mystery. If she had been abused (hit, beaten, inappropriately scolded), then why was she so happy to meet new people and showed no outward signs of aggression? And if she hadn't been abused, then why the strange behavior at the shelter which would randomly reoccur in the middle of our walks with her? And why did Willa always refuse to go potty on her walks no matter how many miles we walked; only to immediately urinate and defecate as soon as she returned to her dog run?
Willa's behavior didn't add up. That is, not until we determined that we needed a professional to address her needs and invested in her training with Linn Boyke of Zen4K9s (www.Zen4K9s.com).
Linn is one of only three apprentices to Cesar Millan and is highly skilled at understanding dog behavior. Once Willa moved in to Linn's facility, it did not take him long to determine the cause of her strange behaviors. We now understand that Willa has what is called "Dirty Dog Syndrome." In short, prior to being turned into the county shelter, Willa likely spent the first two years of her life confined to a crate so small that it was impossible for her to remove herself from her own waste. Forced to lay in in her own urine and feces, Willa learned that without a choice to go potty anywhere but right underneath herself, it must be OK to lay in your own filth. This is a common syndrome of puppy mill dogs that are forced to live, breed and give birth in tiny cages; cages that are often times not even large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around; which is likely the cause of Willa's flat feet. "Dirty Dog Syndrome" is a learned behavior and it can be broken, but it is a matter of reversing months, and in Willa's case, years, of unthinkable abuse. For Willa to CHOOSE to urinate and defecate on herself, even after being given the option of doing so out on her walks, we now understand the degree to which she suffered; alone, hairless, and covered in her own urine and feces.
Take Me Home is searching for someone who understands that the dogs with the greatest needs are often the dogs that appear to be perfectly healthy. We are looking for someone who will realize the blessing of adopting a dog that has received months worth of professional training, along with the opportunity to work with Willa's trainer so that she can take all the skills she has learned at her training facility into her new home. We are looking for someone who doesn't feel sorry for Willa and will just "forgive" her for accepting a life of living in her own waste; and instead will challenge her on a daily basis to demand better for herself and to not give in to the submission that comes from years of abuse.
We are looking for someone who realizes that as far as special needs dogs go, Willa has a lot of positives; she's not an aggressive dog that can't be around new people, she doesn't require costly medical care, and she's still young with her whole life ahead of her.
For your chance to know this very special girl, contact:
Haze Lynn
Email: TMHrescue@gmail.com
Take Me Home Rescue
2633 Lincoln Blvd #207
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-967-4637
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit -- Tax ID# 95-4835234
WILLA2
Meet Willa; A prime example of one of those animals who has suffered in silence. Willa is a darling, spayed, two year old Shepherd/Shar Pei mix with the most expressive, comical ears you have ever seen and a set of goofy webbed feet to match. And to those who meet her for the first time, Willa is a submissive, loving little girl who rolls over for belly rubs and can't wait to meet new people.
Other than some hair loss due to a low thyroid which is now on the mend with a very inexpensive daily medication, you wouldn't see the scars of Willa's abuse until you get to know her and until you meet with her trainer who has helped us to unravel the mystery of Willa's horrific past.
Willa came to us when one of our volunteer members was introduced to her at a county shelter, just days before she was to be euthanized. She caught the attention of our volunteer when the shelter workers tried to take her out for a walk and Willa flattened herself to the ground, with no clue what it meant to be on the end of a leash. Willa's behavior, combined with the fact that she had virtually no hair, compelled those of at Take Me Home to spare her life and get to the bottom of her needs.
Medically, Willa's needs were simple: complete hair loss due to low thyroid which is 100% curable with daily medication. But psychologically, Willa's needs were still a mystery. If she had been abused (hit, beaten, inappropriately scolded), then why was she so happy to meet new people and showed no outward signs of aggression? And if she hadn't been abused, then why the strange behavior at the shelter which would randomly reoccur in the middle of our walks with her? And why did Willa always refuse to go potty on her walks no matter how many miles we walked; only to immediately urinate and defecate as soon as she returned to her dog run?
Willa's behavior didn't add up. That is, not until we determined that we needed a professional to address her needs and invested in her training with Linn Boyke of Zen4K9s (www.Zen4K9s.com).
Linn is one of only three apprentices to Cesar Millan and is highly skilled at understanding dog behavior. Once Willa moved in to Linn's facility, it did not take him long to determine the cause of her strange behaviors. We now understand that Willa has what is called "Dirty Dog Syndrome." In short, prior to being turned into the county shelter, Willa likely spent the first two years of her life confined to a crate so small that it was impossible for her to remove herself from her own waste. Forced to lay in in her own urine and feces, Willa learned that without a choice to go potty anywhere but right underneath herself, it must be OK to lay in your own filth. This is a common syndrome of puppy mill dogs that are forced to live, breed and give birth in tiny cages; cages that are often times not even large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around; which is likely the cause of Willa's flat feet. "Dirty Dog Syndrome" is a learned behavior and it can be broken, but it is a matter of reversing months, and in Willa's case, years, of unthinkable abuse. For Willa to CHOOSE to urinate and defecate on herself, even after being given the option of doing so out on her walks, we now understand the degree to which she suffered; alone, hairless, and covered in her own urine and feces.
Take Me Home is searching for someone who understands that the dogs with the greatest needs are often the dogs that appear to be perfectly healthy. We are looking for someone who will realize the blessing of adopting a dog that has received months worth of professional training, along with the opportunity to work with Willa's trainer so that she can take all the skills she has learned at her training facility into her new home. We are looking for someone who doesn't feel sorry for Willa and will just "forgive" her for accepting a life of living in her own waste; and instead will challenge her on a daily basis to demand better for herself and to not give in to the submission that comes from years of abuse.
We are looking for someone who realizes that as far as special needs dogs go, Willa has a lot of positives; she's not an aggressive dog that can't be around new people, she doesn't require costly medical care, and she's still young with her whole life ahead of her.
For your chance to know this very special girl, contact:
Haze Lynn
Email: TMHrescue@gmail.com
Take Me Home Rescue
2633 Lincoln Blvd #207
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-967-4637
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit -- Tax ID# 95-4835234