Kitten Paparazzi

 

The first time I took him out, his three paws scrabbled excitedly on the concrete floor and he could barely gain a purchase. Worried that he might tear open his stitches, the dog manager scooped him up and carried him to the door before setting him down. For the next three or four weeks, I did the same almost every moring. He put up with the indignity of being carried well. I doubt Pancake had ever been walked much by his owner. If he had been,  it had been straining at the end of the leash choking himsef. Judging by his reaction to seeing other dogs, people, etc. I doubt he had much interacton.

Each morning I took him out and we walked in small circles wth him constantly trying to strain against the leash. Slowly, without yelling, or jerking, or correcting in any way, I taught him to walk next to me. For the first cuple of weeks we never made it out of the parking lot. We would do a short walk with me constantly changing drections to keep the leash loose and Pancake coming up to me. Each day, we expanded our range a little more. At first he was incredibly fearful of vehicles. Once I watched his eyes get as huge as saucers as a car approached from across te parking lot. After that I was careful to slowly introduce him cars and to have plenty of treats nearby when I did. Today, he barely notices cars at all and will run next to the bicycle.

Unfortunately, Pancake has shown aggressive tendacies towards other dogs. With the right introductions and supervision, I'm sure he could be integrated into another pack, but for the average owner, he'd probably be best as the only dog. I've worked with Pancake on basic obedience. He knows wait, sit, leave it, touch and come. He loves and deserves attention and affection. He needs an owner who can give him more than being locked away in a back yard or in a kennel at a shelter.

See Pancake and other dogs up for adopton at the http://www.nevadasca.org