My name is Dodger!

Dodger needs a new family. Dodger is an intelligent and happy 13-14 month old Lab/Hound/Pit who was a stray in San Antonio, Texas. During his 20 days at the shelter, they tried to kill him twice!. But he somehow "dodged" death both times! His collar had grown into his neck and he had mange. No one wanted him because he was afraid of people. But really, he was just shy! You see, Dodger had been neglected and likely didn't spend any time at all with people. He wasn't taught the things young puppies are taught about other dogs, people, and the world. Despite his rough start and bad luck, he healed well and his personality blossomed!! He soon made the trip to Michigan to look for his forever home. He was listed for adoption and finally, two months later he was adopted!! He had finally found happiness! A new home where people were nice and taught him things like sit, lay down, shake, and twirl. He even had a little brother to play with!! He met their family and friends, got to go on trips and literally found his heaven on earth!! It was the perfect story, a beautiful happy ending!! But, that fairy tale soon ended.

The only problem Dodger had was, his legs sometimes hurt. He started limping just a few days before he was scheduled to go to his new adopter. But it was intermittent, inconsistent and not very noticeable. With that in mind and the offer to go to our vet if it continued, Dodger's new Mom & Dad took him to their vet because they said it worsened. Their vet said, Dodger had a very old injury that had caused one bone to stop growing and he would either need to be on steroids the rest of his life (which would eventually ruin his liver) or he could have surgery and they would shave down a bone in his leg, leaving him with one leg shorter than the other one..........we suggested they get a second opinion from our vet. But before we could do that, something really bad happened.

Dodger took him and his new little brother, a 4-5 month old shepherd mix, to their in-laws home for a weekend visit. Just a few days after they got home, and a little more than two months after he finally found the love and security he was looking for, he was returned by his new family! Dodger didn't know what he had done wrong to make them stop loving him. He was confused and brokenhearted. "Wait, wait!!! You forgot me! Where are you going???" he whined. He couldn't understand why they were driving away without him. He was very sad and confused. Why did they return him, you ask? Dodger started being protective over his new family. He just loved them SO much and never wanted to lose them!! He was never taught before how to behave when he felt that way so, he did was he thought he was supposed to do - he warned people to be nice and not hurt them. Dodger's Mom & Dad didn't really know how to handle this and didn't think they could train Dodger how to appropriately communicate. So, they sent him back to us. They say they miss him terribly but we can't understand why they won't even try to fix the problem. We, however, never see this behavior out of Dodger. He has never been aggressive or exhibited any extraordinary signs of resource guarding.

So we took Dodger to our vet yesterday at West Flint Animal Hospital. Dr. Baes reviewed the x-rays, examined Dodger and watched him move. He never saw any sign of lameness or an old injury, or anything that would support the first veterinarians diagnosis. His diagnosis is, growing pains. While at the clinic, Dodger was eager to meet all the new people, including the staff, clients and their dogs. He weighed in at a whopping 57 pounds and enjoyed many treats for his excellent behavior!! He even met a couple new doggy friends!! We have had Dodger eleven days and only one slight sign of limping on the tenth day. We have not given the steroids since he has been back in our care, even though his former family sent them along for him. Dr. Baes suggested we not continue with the steroids and instead, administer one baby aspirin if we see any soreness, lameness or otherwise. If it worsens, he would like to see him again. We are also slowly weaning him over to adult food so that he doesn't receive the large amount of protein that is in puppy food and sometimes contributes to growing pains in young dogs.

Dodger is a sweet and very fun-loving dog! He is REALLY super laid back, listens well and is a VERY good puppy! He always wants to play with other dogs, enjoys playing with toys and chewing on bones, and loves attention! He shows no food or toy aggression, walks very well on a leash, is crate trained, and almost completely house trained!! He weighs approximately 60 pounds, but is somewhat short in height. He is fully vaccinated, wormed, microchipped, HW- and neutered. He doesn't require a fenced yard but does require a home where he will be a FOREVER member of the family, provided with training (since he is young and acts even younger), and given love and attention on a daily basis. Please call or email if you are interested in adopting Dodger and giving him the loving home he deserves. We require an adoption application, references, home check and adoption contract. Each adoption is considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the dog and their requirements, as well as the family and their circumstances. Please, NO TEXT MESSAGES.