100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 21 - Meet Resident Bruce

With Day 21 of 100 Days with 100 Dogs  we meet Bruce. All of the dogs that come us have their stories - their own slice of trauma through many different causes from the death of their owners, those that have been abused, and those suffering terrible illnesses. All of them touch you in some way, but others are so grim that they can stain you indelibly, and yet the dogs can come out of the other side, and through their own strength and patient support find a life again.

Meet Resident Bruce

Bruce is a 2 year old black and tan,long coated entire male. At 7 months he started reacting to things when taken out on walks. We believe that he was going through his second fear period. 

Unfortunately his owners sent him away to board and train with a disreputable (for want a better description) trainer. During his stay with the training school they introduced him to a prong collar, spray bottle and rattle can (obviously this trainer had no idea of the science of how dogs learn). On the face of it, the training worked, but in reality such techniques will at best mask the original issue, and are also likely to create new ones.

How prong colours are still legal in this day and age is unconscionable.

Bruce returned home, and he wasn't so reactive on walks. and his owners naively thought the  that the training had worked. In reality the fear had sunk deeper, and taken on new forms.  He'd learned that seeing humans resulted in pain from the prong collar.    

When visitors came to the house he was terrified of humans, but didn't have the prong collar on. And so he tried to protect himself and bit. Poor Bruce now has two police records. 

Arriving at Welfare we recognised a terrified, and shut down boy. His eyes told such a story - one that  would make you cry. Once we'd taken him in, the police contacted us. If he hadn't been surrendered to us they would have issued a destruction order.   

Within weeks if being here, and by only working at a pace he could cope with we worked with him on problem solving. As gained confidence and proficiency, and as he did so, he transformed. He looked like he had the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. 

Even with this we still have to be careful, and make sure not put him in situations he can't cope with. He is so loving, and just five minutes in his company would leave you wondering how on earth he found himself in that predicament. Sady the answer is all too simple - because people do not always listen to the advice given, or given bad advice and don't check. There will be no third chance for Bruce with the police, and so we made the decision to keep him safe in our care.

Bruce is one of twenty or so dogs in our permanent care. He's not one the dogs with a printed sponsor pack, but if you'd like to help us provide for his life long needs then you can still sponsor him by choosing other, and then entering his name in the text box provided - http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/product/sponsor-a-dog/