JOE'S STORY

Joe’s original family got him and then did not want him. At less then a year old, Joe’s family grew tired of him and left him with a neighbour to give away. When another family expressed interest in the little guy, the neighbour of Joe’s original owners dumped him at the doorstep of the new family without any information or explanation at all. Joe was frightened and confused by all the changes that had taken place in his short life, and he began to lash out at the unsuspecting family, attempting to bite anyone who came near him. A scared little dog emerged from this past life that was very wary of strangers. The new family was very alarmed and afraid of Joe’s reaction, and locked him in their sunroom, afraid to go near him to even let him outside – and they contacted Funds for Furry Friends.

Rescue director, Shahna Rice, experienced the same fear aggression when she approached Joe to bring him into rescue. Shahna and volunteer Theresa VanHoof moved Joe into a crate using a blanket. With a lack of open foster homes and a full house of females, several yet to be altered, Shahna was forced to board Joe at the Brandon City Pound while she attempted to arrange for a foster home to work with him. After a mere 2 days at the pound, Shahna received a phone call requesting Joe be removed from the pound within 12 hours or he would be euthanized. Joe’s constant attempts to bite, and his refusal to come inside out of the snow – or to even eat, left those working at the pound to believe that Joe was a dog that couldn’t be worked with. Believing all this little guy needed was a chance, Shahna began a hunt to find a volunteer that would work with aggression issues like Joe’s.

Dana Grove agreed to take Joe into her home and went to retrieve him from the pound the next morning. Receiving several warnings that she would be bitten, and accepting the risk, Dana was locked in the dog run area in the back. Opening Joe’s individual run she spent about 15 minutes calling him and somehow won the trust of the little dog. He instantly became her Velcro-dog. Joe was severely matted and his nails had grown to a length where they were embedded in the pads of his tiny feet. He was so thin his ribs, spine, and even hips stuck out to a point where they could be easily felt under his fur. She named him "Joe." Despite attempts to track down the original owners with the help of animal control, no successful charges could be laid for the poor condition Joe was in. Dana took Joe to the vet where his nails where trimmed, his mats were shaved and he was fully vaccinated and neutered through Funds for Furry Friends dog rescue.

Over the next few months, Dana worked extensively with Joe. Working primarily on trust issues, Dana brought Joe to a point where he was able to interact with strangers, as long as she was present. Joe’s fear response slowly changed from biting to hiding behind the legs of his foster mommy. Dana was able to teach Joe to "sit" and was able to work with him to correct behaviours such as jumping up on table tops. Joe was also exposed to a couple of other dogs, a cat, and a 10-year-old girl whom he learned to trust with time. Dana worked with Joe to a point where strangers could touch him as long as she was holding him, but strangers could not pick up Joe on their own.

Joe made his move to a second foster home in Winnipeg after 5 long months in his first foster home. Efforts needed to be made to socialize Joe further, and he found the perfect environment for that to happen with Foster Mommy Teresa Truszynski. Joe’s housetraining regressed when he changed homes, but Joe was able to bond with Teresa as instantly as he bonded to his first foster mom. He did not instantly bond with Foster Daddy, although with a few days and patience Joe was jumping on Foster Daddy’s knee and playing ‘catch me’ in the back yard. Yippee…that was a lot of fun for Joe!

Joe was able to learn some new tricks with Teresa, such as "high five" and even became comfortable enough to wear a little leather jacket. Still a little leery of strangers, Joe grew more confident as time progressed. He braved up enough to put his little paws on the knees of visitors to the home, and eventually reached a point where he could spend time with a babysitter outside of the presence of his foster mommy! Joe was definitely learning security and trust.

After six months at his second foster home, Joe made wonderful progress. Shahna’s instincts were correct about this little guy. If he was given a chance, he would really shine! Joe is a playful, energetic little guy. He would bound around his back yard making sure to alert the neighbourhood that he was there. He loves his squeaky toys and he also has a favourite stuffed dog, and even though it is three times Joe’s size that does not stop Joe from pulling doggie around and letting him know that Joe is the boss!

He has become a reasonably sociable dog who is beginning to understand that people could be kind. Both foster homes had experienced some difficult situations with inappropriate families interested in adopting Joe. Both foster mommies (Dana and Teresa) and Shahna sought out the perfect home for our beloved Joe. Joe lived in foster care for 11-months waiting for his perfect mommy to come along….and on Wednesday, 21 September 2005, she did!

Hey it's me Joe, meeting Mommy Jo!

Joanna, also known as "Mommy Jo" met our little Joe, just shy of a year in rescue. Mommy Jo understood that Joe may be timid and that Joe would let Foster Mommy Teresa know whether an adoption could work or not.

On Joe’s first meeting with Mommy Jo, it was clearly obvious what a gentle and patient woman she is. By the end of the meeting Mommy Jo had been able to pet Joe and she was also treated to a number of "high fives". Mommy Jo was committed to work with her little Joe and visited Joe frequently for three weeks and in this time Joe realized that he loved his forever mommy.

Joe went to his forever home on Tuesday 11 October 2005, with his Mommy Jo. Joe is currently enjoying his wonderful life, walking twice a day with Mommy Jo, going to the lake and to visits with new friends. He has also found time to model Mommy Jo’s doggie booties in his spare time.

BEST FRIENDS - Mommy and Me!

   World's most handsome model!!

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