MEET GOJI!!
This poor boy may be one of the hardest ones from this group. He is one of the now 22 dogs we’ve taken in from a horrible hoarding situation. He survived being in a feces covered home during freezing temps with no heat, no water and no electricity for a very long time. The dogs there all had to fight over very little food and resources. Goji has put in some real work to trust us. He is making so much progress but will need a very understanding adopter to help him heal.
Goji is approx 3 years old. He is a male schnauzer or Yorkie mix best guess. He weighs 20 Pounds is full grown. He will be neutered, up to date on vaccines and microchipped as part of his adoption. He is heartworm negative and on monthly preventions.
This poor boy does not want to be mean. He has such a gentle loving spirit hidden in all that fear. He was unfortunately forced into a bite situation early on. One thing we know about Goji is he will always try to run away vs bite. When first captured he had no option to run and nipped a volunteer that helped catch him. When given time and approached slowly he does very very well being handled. It’s no fault to anyone involved as there was just no slow steady approach that could have been used when he was first caught and handled. Now that he’s here in a foster home we’ve gotten so far with him. Truly a success story in the making. He’s working through his fears and through slow careful handling he’s made no attempts to bite even when we have to push him out of his comfort zone. (I love him can you tell?! Give my boy a chance!!)
This guy is making great progress. He’s started to follow us around the house and although he’s scared of you reaching for him he wants affection. He loves cheese and it’s a great way to earn his trust. He’s started to approach us more and more each day. I think I even saw a play bounce in there today.
He has done really well with other dogs of all sizes and ages. He prefers a dog that isn’t hyper and jumping all over him but he tries to be very tolerant. He doesn’t mind our bulldozer of a bulldog at all but wasn’t thrilled about a puppy jumping all over his face. He is not fostered with cats so we do not know how he will do but we suspect he would do fine.
Goji has not been fostered with children but we think he would be fine with older kids that can give him space and time to adjust. As with any dog he would need any children in the house to be respectful and not treat him like a toy. You need to understand that he could be pushed into a bite situation if a child cornered him or grabbed him. If he can run away he will but care needs to be taken when handling until trust is built.
Hes working on his house training but he still needs help with it. He did really well with crate training but we took it away as he was using it as a crutch to not be social. He now has the entire kitchen area and does well with that. He does best being in a high traffic area of the home and being ignored for the first few days. That really worked well to get him to feel safe.
He has done good on car rides and does not get sick. His last trip to the vet he rode in my lap and did great. He had clearly never been on a leash before and was terrified of it. He still is at times but he’s learning. He will flail a bit when he feels pressure but if you’re gentle he will stop and follow you on it. He’s doing really well so far.
Goji is not fully potty trained. He came from a place where they were trapped inside and had no options for going anywhere else. He is starting to learn about going outside to potty. He does best with a secured pen or fenced area. He will not come back to you in the yard until he trusts you but he will follow other dogs in and out. He is really starting to catch on to going potty outside but still has indoor accidents.
He was in a situation where he had to fight over limited food and resources from the other dogs in the home. We suggest allowing him to eat alone where he can take his time and not feel threatened or pressured. He has no issues at all sharing with people but may be uncomfortable sharing around other dogs. He so far hasn’t cared about dogs around his food bowl but may feel different about something more high value to him. He takes treats extremely gently from people.
He has a low energy level so far. We expect he may get a little more energetic once he fully decompresses. He usually walks around watching us or curls up in his dog bed. He’s very low key at the moment. We are starting to notice he has a desire to be around us more. He will whine at the kitchen gate or scratch at the door if we go outside without him. He’s starting to desire human companionship more and more.
Goji went to the vet the day after he arrived. It went horribly. We took him back a week later and what a huge difference. We muzzled him as a precaution. (He did great with allowing us to put it on) but we could have done it without the muzzle. With just a week to trust us he allowed me to hold him while his blood draw was done. It’s slow progress with a dog like this but he’s really responding well to things and learning to get through scary situations.
Goji is a dog that has all the potential to be the most loyal dog for the right person. He deserves a chance and he is willing to trust again. We are happy to pass on our methods with him to potential adopters. It will take time but in the right home he’s going to continue to excel. Once you earn the trust of a dog like this you’ll gain the most loyal companion you’ve ever had.
***Do not apply to adopt one of these hoarding case dogs if you’re not serious about giving them time to adjust. It’s absolutely unfair to expect them to adjust in a day or two. We’ve had 3 adopted and returned within 24 hours of adoption for not being immediately settled and perfect in a completely new place. All returned for things we explained upfront about them. It’s completely unreasonable and unrealistic to expect that from dogs that have been through what they have. The last thing they need is to be shuffled around due to adopters not listening or being serious about their needs***
Vet and home checks required.
Located in Hampton VA.
(He will need to be adopted within a 1 hour drive radius)
‼️Please message us directly with questions or to get an application.‼️
➡️(If you comment on the post instead of messaging us you may get passed over due to us not seeing your comment.)⬅️