While most of the dogs we rescue are friendly, well-socialized dogs who were abandoned or lost their homes for various reasons, every so often we come across other types of dogs that need our help. These are the real rescues- the ones that don't do well in shelters and that most adopters would pass by. At Second Chance we understand these dogs and look forward to the opportunity to give them a "second chance".
We call them our "feral dogs"- dogs who for one reason or another were never properly socialized and do not know how to bond with people. Some are just extremely "shy" dogs who are nervous around strangers but bond in a few days and act normal with their owner but have social issues meeting new people. Others have probably never been touched or had any positive experience with people and will hide or run away given the opportunity. The ones we have are generally not aggressive- they just hide or freeze in fear when approached. Some may come around with their owners after months/years while others may always remain somewhat fearful even with people they live with. Whether they have been rescued from puppy mills, hoarding situations, or were just undersocialized strays, the one thing they all have in common is that they LOVE other dogs and will bond readily to them. Observing a friendly social dog interacting with people speeds up their rehabilitation and they will often start to approach their owner when they see the other dog getting attention. Their ideal home would be a calm adult household willing to give them time to adjust, and accept them even if they never bond fully to people. They require owners who will be vigilant in making sure they are not able to bolt out a door or escape, as they will not approach people to allow themselves to be caught once they get loose. While these special needs dogs are not for everyone and need very special people, those who do open their hearts to these types of dogs report that helping to rehabilitate them is such a rewarding experience. We have several shy dogs up for adoption right now:
Sam- a very shy 5 year old dachshund mix rescued from a hoarding situation. He is starting to warm up and learn to enjoy attention but will still need a lot of patience to learn to fully trust someone.
Quartz, a terrified 1 year old eskie rescued from a horrible life in a puppymill. He loves other dogs, but has no reason to trust people at this point and will need a very patient adult home with a friendly dog to help show him the ropes.
We do not have a shelter- all our pets are in foster homes and can be seen by appointment only during the week, or at our weekly pet adoptions every Sunday at the Animal Clinic of Morris Plains from 12:30 to 3PM at 3009 Route 10 East next to 5 Star Car Wash (formerly Boulder Car Wash) in Morris Plains (Denville on GPS). To help us better match a pet to your household, we request you fill out an application on our homepage www.secondchance.petfinder.com and copy and paste it into an email, or print it and bring it to our adoption day when you come. Local inquiries only please- we do not do long distance adoptions.
Can't adopt but still want to help this dog? Click on the "Sponsor Me" button at the top of this page to donate toward his/her care! All donations are tax-deductible and go directly toward the care of our rescue dogs. Thank you for your support!
