My sad little foster dog...

My vet is very involved in puppy mill rescues, and I agreed to foster one of their rescued Pomeranians who came from a notorious mill nearby. I have two Pom rescues, Guido and Luigi, and they're very social so we thought it would help the little guy get some confidence back.

Teddy has been here for a couple of days and is a very fearful little dog. He only comes out of his crate to go out in the yard and while he doesn't seem intimidated by the other dogs he certainly doesn't want to mingle. That's okay. He just needs some time.



It looks like he's snarling in the photo, but he isn't. Like Guido, my puppy mill guy, he only has a couple of teeth left and they jut out of his jaw. He has serious calcium deposits and they've altered his bite and make his muzzle apear swollen. He's shaved from the chest down because he was infested with parasites and matted when they got him, but the coat he does have is really nice. He's only 6 or 7 but he's had a tough life. He's shown some signs of spunk today so I think he's going to come around eventually - these little guys have big hearts and spirits.

Oh, and these puppy millers should be friggin' jailed.

to those they kept their dogs in.

He will at least know what love is....
Hugs for Teddy!!:hug:



Puppy Millers must absolutely be jailed!!!

It's just going to take some time. It took my foster redtick a good four months before he stopped expecting to be hurt when I touched him. You are a special person to help these dogs - good luck!!

Guido, my black-and-tan Pom mill rescue, would run like the wind whenever you'd try to pet him or pick him up. They're so used to rough handling that they have major trust issues.

I've had Guido for six months now, and he'll happily approach me for pets and yesterday for the first time he flipped on his back to get his stomach scratched. That's something I never thought in a thousand years he'd ever do, so he's well on his way to being a success story.

Mill dogs are definitely worth the time and patience - I hope I can get this little guy on his way to success so he can be adopted.

May he develop into a lionhearted little dog. You are doing great job with these little guys. Blessings to you.

they are often shaking, tail tucked for the first couple of days...

takes them about 2 weeks to settle in a bit, 2 months to really settle in

I've been letting Teddy watch me pet my other two Pomeranians, speaking to them softly and handling them very gently.

He finally decided he wanted in on some of the petting action and walked up to me as I was petting the other dogs, shaking like a little six-pound leaf. As scared as he was, he wanted a pet and was going to risk it - it was very brave of him. For sure he got a big helping of pets and last night he sat in my lap and let me pet him until he fell asleep. I'm surprised at how quickly he's progressing. Hopefully I can have him ready to adopt by the end of April, a nice, social little dog. He's really a sweet little guy (and his coat will be stunning when it grows in - it's orange tipped with cream).

from the sound of your original post, he didn't know about getting pets and lovies. Won't be too long before he turns into a lovesponge

with animals coming from that sort of situation you have to let them set the pace.

with our first foster greyhound, Mint (whom we later adopted) she was a love sponge from the beginning

2nd foster: Ibuprofen (boo for short) was scared for the first couple of days. After that he was Mr. PetmePetme

3rd foster: Abeline, on the shy side - took her about 2 weeks to come around

4th foster: Linda, really really shy, and would jump back if you touched her head. Took her almost a month to start seeking us out for some attention, but once she did -- it was Ms. Bellyrub all the time

we're taking a break right now from fostering - between our planned vacation in June and company arriving for a stay in July-August, and all the things on our "to-do" list to get ready we just won't have the time to devote to fostering. We'll probably start up again in the fall

I'll keep my fingers crossed - 2 months sounds about right to me.

Also a big thank you to you for rescuing abused dogs! :)

>> Oh, and these puppy millers should be friggin' jailed.

If you read the thread I started up a couple of weeks ago, you can see why I agree with you. Is the dog anymore social now that he was?

I'm not having a whole lot of luck here, but the dog is A LOT happier now I can say that much.

They need to SHUT THEM DOWN, SHUT THEM ALL DOWN AND THROW THEM ALL IN JAIL!. Nothing more cruel that abusing an animal of any sort IMO.

Good for you and I hope he works out better with time.

:dem: :kick:

He's finally gotten the hang of playing with toys. He's picked out a favorite, a little penguin, and he carries it everywhere (and squeaks it obsessively - that's a big thrill for him). You can tell he's never had a toy before.

The other Pomeranians have really helped bring him out of his shell. He's gotten quite attached to them and it's going to be hard for all concerned when Teddy gets adopted. He's still very frightened by noises or quick movement but he's made a lot of progress interacting with people. He loves getting petted.

I'm SO glad to hear this! I don't think my new dog has ever had a toy before either. I got her a couple of small stuffed toys yesterday and I think she likes them.

She's coming around slowly too but has been very sick.

I'm glad to know that you new little fellow is doing so much better! That gives me and I'm sure many others hope!

Maybe you can keep Teddy? Have you thought about it perhaps? It might be just what the household needs, you never know! :D

:kick:

When they don't initially understand the concept of a toy. ALL puppies should have a healthy supply of toys and chewy stuff - but the millers just view these dogs as breeding stock. It's really sick.

I know it's going to be hard when Teddy gets adopted because he's integrated well with the household and he really loves my other two Pomeranians. He has a sense of stability here and I dread seeing him uprooted yet again, but whoever adopts him I know will give him a good home. I'd love to keep him but three Pomeranians might be the death of me! They're wily little guys and keep me hoppin'.

Sounds like we both have our hands full - I hope your guy is doing better. Being sick is a double-whammy.