From:

Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 10:59 PM

To:

Subject: Shar Pei Mix due to be PTS, Need Help ASAP

Attachments: IMG_0959.jpg; IMG_0961.jpg; IMG_0963.jpg

Last week my neighbor’s friend put his shar pei mix in a small dog crate in my neighbors garage and left her there.  If she was lucky, she was walked once a day.  The crate was too small and she could not comfortably get up and move around in it.  After speaking with the man I found out that he was evicted from his foreclosed home and had no where else to take his dog.  Before that, she was locked in a basement for the last couple of years.  She’s only 3 years old.  I began to walk her daily and started work on training her.  I began to try to find alternative boarding for her and then behind my back he took her to the Western PA Humane Society where she freaked out and snapped at a staff member.  They have deemed her vicious and if she does not pass their behavior test she will be put to sleep in the next couple of days.  So far, they are expecting her to fail their test.  I have been trying to pull this dog but they will not let me since she is not my dog and since they have decided that she is aggressive.  She has never received veterinary care and I am willing to cover as much as I possibly can.  I even found a trainer that was willing to work with her at my expense. 

Here is more about her and why I’m trying so hard to save this dogs life…

The good…she is awesome.  I have been walking her and spending time with her over the last few days.  She wasn’t good on a leash at first, but is getting much better.  She needs and wants direction.  She wants to please and I can easily roll her over into a submissive position with no problems.  She’s just happy to get a belly rub.  She likes to jump up, but after a couple of soft knees in her chest she gets the point and will then sit at your feet and wait for attention.  She is not food aggressive at all and takes treats gently.  I was able to giver her kisses on her cheek while she was eating and at one time she kissed me back, leaving a gross streak of chewed food on my face.  She craves attention and affection and constantly seeks it out.  She is hyper at first, but if you ignore her, she settles down and respects the space you ask for.  She does easily get excited and has the attention span of a fly, but is easy to redirect.  She never has directed any aggression towards me.  I had her in my back yard and she was well behaved.  She didn’t dig or try to jump my 4 foot fence.  She ran around and lounged on my deck.  She just wants to be a dog.  She never really had that opportunity.

The bad…she is fear aggressive and dog/cat aggressive.  She saw my cat in the window and her hair went up and she started to bark.  However, with one good jab (just to get her attention) at the neck she was easily redirected and came back to me for attention and then ignored the cat.  We tried to introduce her to my dogs through my back door.  At first she was really aggressive and began to bite at my siding.  Then I jabbed her and she turned around, put her back to my door and sat and looked up at me.  Once we got my dogs settled on the other side of the door, she settled down and ignored them, but if they got excited, she became aggressive towards them again.  Also, she does act cage aggressive, but I can open the crate and then she starts wiggling with excitement to get out.  She sounds mean, but she has a strong bark and someone that did not know that would mistake it for aggression.  She has shown fear aggression to my neighbor.  She did snap at him when she was backed into the garage and couldn’t get away from him.  She did try to get away from him first, but there was no room.  My husband was able to give her treats and then she retreated into the yard and didn’t want to come back to him until I came back outside.  Then she came over to me and looked to me for direction and protection.  She never snapped or was aggressive towards him.  She had the space to get away and she did. 

That dog could have bit me at any time and she never even tried even when she was biting my siding out of frustration.   She never redirected that aggression onto me and I was standing right next to her.  She was so appreciative of all the love and attention she received from me.  She also showed me that she wants direction, someone to tell her what is expected of her.  I did not put up with any inappropriate behavior from her and she was okay with that.

I am willing to do whatever I can for this dog.  I just want her to have a chance.  She never received love, socialization, or proper training and now she might die confused and terrified.  I really believe this dog can be rehabilitated.  I would not be so persistent if I didn’t believe in her.  I don’t think for a second that she is vicious, just scared and frustrated.

Since they won’t release her to me, I am hoping to find a rescue group that they might be willing to release her to.  If anyone is willing to help me, you can contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx.  I will pay for her vaccinations and spay.  She only has another day or so before she will be put down.  I understand if because of what you have heard you don’t want to get involved.  Not every rescue has the resources to deal with a dog that needs rehabilitation and training.

Thank you.