Adopt a Retriever / Hound / Mixed (short coat)

Update 9/27/17: 

Shiloh is the last of the “neglect case dogs” that moved into our shelter.  (Their story is below.)  He appears to be a Retriever/Collie (mix) who is about 8 years old and weighs 65 pounds.  He has elegant, long legs and a coat as soft as a cotton ball.  He is sweet but VERY timid. 

We spend a lot of time with him and dog therapist Jodie wrote:  “I spend a fair amount of time with Shiloh.  First of all, he is beautiful.  He is also very timid but wants to trust and is extremely gentle.  He likes treats and if a person is patient and allows him to come to you, he will.  And he will let you love on him too.  He wants love and he wants to trust, but he has a very difficult time doing it.  Shiloh is a beautiful and gentle soul that needs a gentle touch to help him learn that he is safe.”

Shiloh likes other dogs and he needs other dogs in his life.  He is very clean in his room—meaning he would probably be easy to house train—but he is fearful of going inside a house.  That is probably because he was trapped inside a feces filled bedroom with many other dogs for nearly all of his life and he doesn’t want to be trapped in an environment like that ever again.

He will do best in a calm home in a quiet, country setting with a small but securely fenced yard.  A home without children is a must, because he is afraid of fast movements, loud noises, and many other things.  If he manages to escape any home, he will probably never be seen again.  After the life he has endured so far, we couldn’t bear for him to have to fend for himself out in the big, mysterious world.  He would surely starve and/or freeze to death.  He needs a compassionate, patient person or two, who will give him the time he needs to learn to trust them, and it will take time.

For 2 months, Shiloh was fostered by a nice couple that had another dog, a quiet home and big fenced yard, but he was afraid to go into their house and he would not let them get near him when he was outside.  They set up some nice soft dog beds on their porch that he used, but winter is coming and he is back with us here, because he needs to live inside someplace warm and dry.  We don’t adopt out dogs to live as outside dogs only, so Shiloh will have to learn to live inside a home.  Because he is a special needs dog, our Board members MUST APPROVE Shiloh’s adoption. 

This neglect case story:  Christmas Eve 2016, 11 dogs were seized from a home where they had been severely neglected for years (but had been given food and water).  Some were confined outside without shelter, and some were living inside a bedroom with inches of feces on the floor.  They had never walked on grass or been to a vet.  Many had toes nails several inches long and growing into their foot pads.  All were shy but friendly.  We vetted them well, spayed and neutered them, and had full dentals done on them.  Nearly all of them are living in their wonderful forever homes now.