Ben is going to be made available for adoption this week. I was asked to write a bio for him. What follows is what I hope will appear on the DINO website.
This is Ben. He is a neutered lab/pit cross about 2 and a half years old. Ben is a good boy who wants and needs a forever family he can love, and who will love him in return. He needs a family that will be committed to helping him continue to progress towards balance, security, and stability.
Ben came from a life of tremendous abuse and has been in rehabilitation with his current foster. He is making slow but steady progress learning trust and gaining confidence. He is learning that his choices matter, he’s learning how to walk nicely on the leash, and he’s learning basic manners with both people and other animals.
Because of how his life has conditioned him, Ben still gets a bit nervous around strangers, so calm, assertive leadership at all times is a must. He does have separation anxiety when kenneled, but give him a bone to chew on, and he settles right down and goes to sleep. He is completely house-trained and will paw at his person when he needs to potty, but he must be kept on a lead and supervised while he’s outside, as he is a jumper and he will attempt to jump the fence.
While Ben is good with dogs his size and a little bigger, he must not be around smaller animals as he will attack them. He has shown that he is okay with kids 9 years of age and older, but due to some bad experiences, he has made negative associations with young children and he should not be around them.
Because Ben is in rehabilitation, the foster will work with the adopters so they can continue helping him progress forward towards balance and stability.
I hope Ben finds a loving home with people who will continue to assist him in his “better life” training. He has improved so much already!
So do I, and yes, he sure has. He’s made leaps and bounds in his progress since he came to us.