Our friend Javert needs a new Forever Home... he lives near us in Nashville, TN and was rescued by a great author named Sara Harvey and her husband who have just had a new baby. Here is his story...
He is approx 3-4 yrs old, male neutered german shepherd mix (we are guessing hound/shepherd).
Here's his story and our situation:
Our lives changed in April of 2009 when a scrawny, starving dog turned up on our back porch. We took him in, looking to foster him for a local humane charity. Sadly, his neglectful and likely abusive owners who dumped this beautiful dog in our neighborhood left deep emotional scars on the shepherd mix we called Javert. Only a few days before he would be placed in his forever home, he bit a guest at our house and was given a death sentence. In the two months we'd had Javert, he had become a member of the family and proved himself to be loyal, loving, and cuddly, if a bit unstable. He filled out into a beautiful 80 pound shepherd mix with a majestic ruff around his shoulders and soulful brown eyes, along with that shepherd yip that belies his huge size. We worked for almost two years training him to accept people, but with limited success. He is still very cautious and often snaps at strangers out of fear. We met every achievement and milestone with renewed hope that he might be rehabilitated but always had that underlying fear that he'd have a setback and we would have to put him down.
When our daughter was born in January 2011, the situation came to a head. At first, he would not accept her, which was a problem. But after a few months of hard work, he grew to understand that she was our baby and that she was part of the pack and needed to be guarded. This has opened up a new set of issues with his overly protective nature. We know it will only be a matter of time before he perceives a threat and lashes out with only the best of intentions at heart, but that will only end with his death at the end of a needle at animal control and he deserves better. As much as this dog means to us, we know that the best thing for him is to send him someplace where he can live out his days safe and loved where he will never be in danger of being put down for biting anyone else.
Here's his story and our situation:
Our lives changed in April of 2009 when a scrawny, starving dog turned up on our back porch. We took him in, looking to foster him for a local humane charity. Sadly, his neglectful and likely abusive owners who dumped this beautiful dog in our neighborhood left deep emotional scars on the shepherd mix we called Javert. Only a few days before he would be placed in his forever home, he bit a guest at our house and was given a death sentence. In the two months we'd had Javert, he had become a member of the family and proved himself to be loyal, loving, and cuddly, if a bit unstable. He filled out into a beautiful 80 pound shepherd mix with a majestic ruff around his shoulders and soulful brown eyes, along with that shepherd yip that belies his huge size. We worked for almost two years training him to accept people, but with limited success. He is still very cautious and often snaps at strangers out of fear. We met every achievement and milestone with renewed hope that he might be rehabilitated but always had that underlying fear that he'd have a setback and we would have to put him down.
When our daughter was born in January 2011, the situation came to a head. At first, he would not accept her, which was a problem. But after a few months of hard work, he grew to understand that she was our baby and that she was part of the pack and needed to be guarded. This has opened up a new set of issues with his overly protective nature. We know it will only be a matter of time before he perceives a threat and lashes out with only the best of intentions at heart, but that will only end with his death at the end of a needle at animal control and he deserves better. As much as this dog means to us, we know that the best thing for him is to send him someplace where he can live out his days safe and loved where he will never be in danger of being put down for biting anyone else.
PLEASE PLEASE boost the signal!! They've tried so hard to find him a great Forever Home! They tried to get him into a good rescue home but the rescue place keeps asking for more and more money and have started sending very abusive emails.
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We're a bit confused by this. He bit a guest and was given a death sentence (??), but he's still looking for a home.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't sound like a reputable rescue!
He was given that by his first owners. He was rescued by my friends. The problem is that he has trouble with their baby and so they need to find him a home with someone who doesn't have a baby where he can have someone who can work with him. They've worked very hard with him socializing him because his former 'owners' totally... grrrrrr... abused him... there is just no other way to put it. Sorry if that wasn't clear!
ReplyDeleteI spred the news now !
ReplyDeletePoor Javert, have you contacted Dog Town? The scars from abuse run so deep but it is not his fault and he deserves a chance at rehab.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
I put a link up on our BLOG! Good Luck and we are keeping our paws crossed!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about his horrible life before and I hope to goodness someone will take him on and help him to be athe good dog he was meant to be.
ReplyDeletexox