What a mess he was/is! Gus came into care from a post on facebook of someone seeing a dog in a field for a few days and no one could get near him without him growling and showing teeth. Of course tag me in it because EVERYONE knows what I am going to do. I send a quick message to the head of Bullies In Need and explain I can't just leave him there, knowing that we feel the same way about animals I didn't wait for her response. I loaded up and headed out.
As I am driving up the country road I see a dog walking up the side of the road. I slowly pull over he runs, so I slowly follow to see where he is going to go. He heads up a long drive way past a house that looks empty and back past an old barn. I come to the end of the driveway. Gather my supplies, Tim bits, Hotdogs, bags of dog treats and a container of water for him.
High corn and grass prevent me from seeing where he is so I just talk out loud to him, at least we think its a him, please don't be a her with puppies is one of the things I say to him. Hoping the whole field isn't high corn I come to a little hill. Well I am short this only helps slightly, but I can see him and thank goodness its soybeans!!!
I talk to him and toss a few broken pieces of hot to him and sit down on this prepared to wait until he decides to come to me. As I sit quietly suddenly I feel pinches, what the hell!!! Stand up thinking something is poking shit, he was right there and I spooked him, back to his hiding spot. I brush off and sit back down, more pinches, what is going on!!! I stand up again and take a better look around, only I would sit on a freaking bity ant hill while trying to save a dog.
Okay change of plans. I talk to the dog and walk out to the field and closer to where he is throwing hotdogs and pieces of tim bits. By the way we are about 2 hours in at this point. I sit down near his "safe" spot and talk and put food in a line towards me and my hand out. Now I sit quite I don't move he comes to me and lays down in front of me! He is eating food from my hand!!!! this is awesome!!!
Car noise who is that? who is here. I tell him I will be right back. I head out to see who is there. The people who posted for their parents awww sweet they want to help. I appreciate their kindness and thoughts but in the back of my head hoping they haven't just reset the last 2 hours of work.
I go back to where I was he is not happy he growls and shows his teeth I throw a piece of hot dog at his nose and tell him thats is enough of that you were just eating from my hand and letting me pet your chin. So I sit down with the bucket of water for him and show him its safe. It takes about 5 mins for him to realize what it is but once he does he drinks for a good 3 mins straight.
okay its been about 3 hours at this point, he is letting me pet his chin and eat out of my hand, time to see if I can lead him out of this soy bean field. So with a trail of food he follows slowly at first with a distance between us and then he is right at my heals. We get to my SUV and I open all the doors, hoping against all hope I can get him in. Suddenly another car pulls up, my thoughts are SERIOUSLY I JUST GOT HIM THIS FAR!!! But this car doesn't pull all the way up it stays back a bit. Out comes a women, the dog takes off for the house but doesn't run away. Hes checking all the doors (how heart breaking) Marianne and I talk she tells me who she is, she works with rescues to help catch loose animals and also families catch missing animals. She has a whole cooked chicken and blankets and I am greatful because I have run out of treats and still unable to get him looped.
He comes close once again and lays just out of reach eating chicken and cookies, I still cant get him looped. Its getting dark, he is still going to the doors over and over again. We check the barn its full of crap, I check the house its full of totes and boxes. As we do this he follows all around not letting me too far out of his sight. Marianne checks with the people across the road they own the house we have been told. They are not home.
Still can't get him looped. Its dark I can't leave him alone but not sure what I am going to do at this point. Steve is in the area someone else in rescue who has bullies, he this it could be one his that went to forever home. He comes and verifies it is not his. He helps me get him looped and into the truck.
Thank god for these two people or I may not have gotten him that night, it might have been the next day.
I get him home and into the back room with water and blankets where he can chill out. I take him out a few times in the night to pee and sniff the yard. He barely leaves my side.
The next day I go into feed him and get a better look at him. He is covered in scabs and infected scabs from his hind legs all the way to the middle of his back. His collar is on so tight it is digging into his skin.
We get in touch with the owners of the rental unit, the people who lived there moved out two years ago, they have been feeding "gus" they have a dog too that "gus" has been going over and playing with. We contact the people who rented the house and still a week later haven't heard anything back.
Over the week (so far) that he is here, he lets me tend to his wounds and he slowly comes out of his shell. He has two baths and lets me gentle bush him out everyday to help with the scabs. He finally meets Bossco and Lexi after seeing them while they were in there crates and through a gate for a few days then he met one at a time and only for short periods of time. Now he loves them, he loves Blaine. He is so scared of men to the point where he just looked at Richard and peed everywhere, showed his teeth and growled. So we did this slowly with lots of treats and a gate between them until Gus trusted him enough to get close. He gives him kisses and snuggles now but still if he moves to quickly it freaks Gus out. Every sound freaks him out. He had his first walk with us as a group and did awesome. Before his bath I would have said he was 4, after his bath and him letting me look at his teeth I would put him 7+. He has SOOOO many broken teeth :(
He is learning everyday, yes even old dogs can learn new tricks! mainly by watching the other dogs and paying attention to what I say to them and what they do he has learned "out", "sit", "leave it".
His skin is healing nicely almost all his scabs and sores are healed up. Only a few left on his tail. His hair is growing back. Gus gets to go to the vet tomorrow where he will be checked for microchip (just in case) and have a full look over.
A week later he is very hand shy but will let me put my had in his food dish while he eats, every noise spokes him, too much movement spokes him, he hates being outside for more than a few mins (who blames him tho), he is in a crate when no one is home because he has separation anxiety and it is for his safety as well. No accidents so far in the house other than when he peed everywhere because he met Richard. He now eats in the same area as the other dogs with no issues, he takes treats while sitting next to them no issues. In just a week he has made leaps and bounds and I couldn't be prouder of him.
***PLEASE REMEMBER DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME, UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO READ BODY LANGUAGE TRYING TO GET A DOG TO TRUST YOU CAN BE DANGEROUS, CONTACT A RESCUE, YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL CONTROL OR SHELTER FOR HELP***
Once he is fully healed and has worked on over coming his past he will be ready for his forever home.
