By Susan Spisak
Some adoption stories begin with dogs seized by authorities from unsafe homes, hoarders, irreputable breeders, and mills. In some cases, dogs may be relinquished by their owner to avoid mandated seizures. Countless unsung heroes—shelters, rescues, behaviorists, trainers, volunteers, fosters—are all there to aid these dogs in their journey to that second chance they deserve.
Christine D. Calder DVM of Calder Veterinary Behavior Services has had experience working with dogs pulled from inhumane seizures or similar situations. Most are fearful and/or shutdown, are emotionally withdrawn, and may need medications to cope better. She believes the time for a dog to decompress and slowly respond to a normal lifestyle varies.
These dogs must learn what/who humans are and how to build a bond with them. Using only positive reinforcement, she teaches freedom of choice, new behaviors, provides problem solving skills, and tools to build confidence. “What is important to highlight with these dogs is that we are not socializing them. We are helping them adapt to our world at their pace and their control. This can take days, weeks, months, or even years. In some cases, it never happens at all.”
One nonprofit that the state's Animal Welfare Program turns to following a seizure is Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (ARLGP). Matt Blanchard, Marketing & Communications Coordinator for ARLGP said so far this year, they’ve accepted twenty-six dogs. Their Behavior & Training Manager, Amber Zawrotny, said they see a variety of temperaments and overall demeanor of dogs who come in through seizures.
Unless a dog is exhibiting aggression or is shut down, they consider seized dogs adoptable relatively quickly. They want them to experience safety, stability, and experience the human bond in a home as quickly as possible. They counsel adopters on expected behaviors and provide necessary resources, give them access to their behavior helpline, and their trainers check in on those who have particularly challenging dogs.
“For dogs who are 'held back' in the shelter setting for severe shut-down behavior or aggression, our trainers will triage to help them feel safe enough to coax them out of their shell,” explained Amber. Once the dogs are considered predictable, they assign them to their “mutt mentor volunteers” to provide out-of-shelter experiences. Additionally, they may utilize a seasoned foster home, and they typically have a resident dog to model normal behavior.
Amber feels these dogs may have quirks throughout their lives. “That said, they are incredibly resilient, and we've had a great track record of finding patient, loving adopters who love these dogs just as they are and find immense joy in the 'firsts' with these dogs. Many of these dogs are considered 'normal' within six months to a year of having a stable lifestyle.”
A specific situation was in January of this year, when ARLGP accepted Husky/Pomeranian and Shiba Inu mixes seized from a breeder. One of those was Logan, adopted 18 days after his arrival at ARLGP, “It's less about a dog being ‘ready’ as it is knowing that we've set them and their new family up for success… some dogs that are seized are able to transition into new homes right away while others will require more personalized work with our behavior team to open up,” said Matt.
The toughest case from that seizure was Rory, a Husky/Pomeranian mix. Amber said initially, he refused eye contact and would recoil at human touch. “His fight or flight response was simply to completely freeze. It took a couple of weeks for him not to submissively urinate when touched, another month to start sniffing grass on walks, another month to reliably accept food from humans, etc.” She said his training has been ongoing and will continue.
RORY - PHOTO CREDIT: AMBER
After many months at the shelter, he trusted her, so she fostered him. Very slowly he investigated new things in her home. She and her partner provided him a safe space, daily structure (even saying “good morning” every day), and took him on long walks. Eventually, he climbed on furniture to hang with them and even wagged his tail. “We knew he would need long-term rehabilitation, so seeing these changes within a few months of being home is a massive win for Rory.” They became attached, so Amber adopted him and renamed him Gremmie.
Amber stresses that her experience with Rory/Gremmie has been rewarding. “I would do again in a heartbeat. I understand it's not for everyone, but as an advocate for the timid ones, I encourage anyone with a predictable home life, zero expectations from a dog and lots of patience, to consider meeting the shy guys.”
One group of dogs rescued from a seizure last summer was the Fab 5, and the SPCA of Hancock County (SPCA-HC) came to their aid. Mariah Donovan, their Development Coordinator said, “Every one of the five dogs we took in were emaciated and in need of additional medical care, including prescription diets for three of the seniors following untreated conditions like urinary tract infections and hypothyroidism. It took several months of rechecking blood works and repeated vet visits to get their health where it should have been and needed to be.”
While many dogs rescued from those situations are shut down, these five proved to be more resilient according to Mariah. “They all leaned right into the process of recovery and realized very quickly that everyone was there to help them. It took a few weeks for us to start to see their true personalities once they realized they were safe.” She added that socialization played a role in that, especially because most were desperate for attention. “They’re all now certified love bugs.”
Besides addressing their health, the Fab 5, especially the younger ones, benefited from manners training, and behaviorists intervention on channeling dog energy. Mariah said Salty Dogs Obedience consulted with them on all and recommended routines and enrichments for general adjustment.
Not all found their new home quickly. Xube (pronounced Zoob) was emaciated, neglected, and needed to be the only pet in the home due to severe trauma. After 331 days, Timothy Stearns and husband Lothar Holzke adopted the approximately 6-year-old Xube in late July of this year. Since Timothy works from home, that adds an extra level of stability for their boy plagued with separation anxiety.
Timothy and Lothar adore their new Pittie mix, and since they lost their last dog recently, his affection provides them comfort. They made the decision to adopt him after a few meet and greets and Timothy explained their reasoning, “He is 100% good boy and pure love!” They dote on him and have continued his medical care. He’s currently recovering from extensive oral surgery, issues likely due to old trauma. “He has been a champ with the ‘cone of shame,’” Timothy said.
Stephen acknowledged that Xube dislikes other pets—he even hates, or is scared of, their fish. One challenge they’ve had is because he’s an inquisitive Houdini, they’ve had to use baby gates, lock and hide garbage cans, and employ other tricks to keep him out of trouble. That said, this strong, gentle charmer loves the attention of people of all ages and has earned the name Casanova.
He said the entire process has been a wonderful transition so far. “We hope to have many healthy, wonderful years together, and we are incredibly thankful to the Hancock County SPCA for rescuing Xube from his traumatic past situations, and the loving care they provided him during his transition to his forever home.”
Note: One of the Fab 5 dogs, Blix, is still looking for a home. This happy 3-year-old Boxer has transformed into a confident, playful guy. Please visit wagtopia.com/search/pet?id=2151918&name=Blix for more.
These unsung heroes deserve a big “Thank You” for all they do to help these dogs, and all dogs in their care. Additionally, please consider donating, fostering, and volunteering with your local shelter or rescues, they’ll appreciate your gesture beyond words.