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Hello again! This weeks StubbyDog of the Week is a real special guy named Cam. Cam has been through a lot. Here's Cam's story.
By... Toni O'Brien
Cam is a very special dog at Pets Alive animal sanctuary in Middletown, NY. The sanctuary's previous owner became very ill and passed away. Before passing away the sanctuary fell into disrepair. During that time a lot of the animals there were neglected, Cam was one of the worst cases. He had become so leery & untrusting of people that he became very aggressive. He was so unapproachable that he had to be fed through a funnel & tube through the bars of his enclosure because as soon as anyone got close to him, he got so agitated that he would jump up, grab the fencing with his jaws & thrash back & forth. He probably had one of (if not the) worst reputations out of all the dogs there.
Best Friends stepped in to help when they heard of the conditions of the sanctuary and with them came one of their amazing trainer, Pat. He worked with Cam and made incredible strides in healing this poor guys soul. After that, one of the new directors of Pets Alive asked me to step in. It took lots of time, trust (& treats!) for Cam & me to develop our relationship. It started with me accompanying his walks with Kerry (the woman who asked me to work with him). Then after a few walks, I took him out myself. We worked our way up to me being able to pet him a little, to more & more petting (& treats of course). I remember one fall while out on a walk I slipped on some wet leaves & fell. He came running up to me & I wasn't sure what would happen. It would be the first time my face was so close to his. In the split second it took him to run back from the end of the leash to me I wondered if we had become close enough to be ok or if I was about to say goodbye to my nose! Well, Cam bounded back to me, covered my face with kisses & nudged his nose under my arm to get me back up.
With a huge sigh (& some happy tears) I knew at that moment just how much this poor guy needed to love & be loved. We got back from our walk & I sat in his run with him for a while just marveling at how far he had come. He wants to have friends so badly, he just needs people who will take the time to do that with him.
And once Cam accepts you into his circle, he gives you his whole entire heart. It's not like "yeah I can walk him, but I don't trust him completely". If you're in with Cam, you're in with Cam!
He has made so many new friends over the past couple years. So many volunteers can spend time with Cam and they can all attest to how great he really is. He is loyal, he does everything he can to please his friends, & not to mention he is a good kisser! If you're Cam's friend you suddenly find yourself wondering if "compulsive smoocher" is an actual condition, lol!
To attest to his love & loyalty, let me mention all the torturous things I've done with Cam: I've dressed him up in silly costumes, I've clipped & painted his toenails, I've taken him out for ice cream, I've brushed his fur, I've brushed his teeth! Most pet owners can't do some of these things with their own dogs. Cam has never even given me a sideways glance when I attempt any of these things. He never tries to wiggle away. He enjoys subjecting himself to all of it just because I ask him to. It's not always for treats. It's because he loves me & trusts me as much as I love & trust him.
He is available for adoption & he has many friends, but he will always be "my dog"
Lisa
StubbyDog Volunteer
StubbyDog on Facebook
By... Toni O'Brien
Cam is a very special dog at Pets Alive animal sanctuary in Middletown, NY. The sanctuary's previous owner became very ill and passed away. Before passing away the sanctuary fell into disrepair. During that time a lot of the animals there were neglected, Cam was one of the worst cases. He had become so leery & untrusting of people that he became very aggressive. He was so unapproachable that he had to be fed through a funnel & tube through the bars of his enclosure because as soon as anyone got close to him, he got so agitated that he would jump up, grab the fencing with his jaws & thrash back & forth. He probably had one of (if not the) worst reputations out of all the dogs there.
Best Friends stepped in to help when they heard of the conditions of the sanctuary and with them came one of their amazing trainer, Pat. He worked with Cam and made incredible strides in healing this poor guys soul. After that, one of the new directors of Pets Alive asked me to step in. It took lots of time, trust (& treats!) for Cam & me to develop our relationship. It started with me accompanying his walks with Kerry (the woman who asked me to work with him). Then after a few walks, I took him out myself. We worked our way up to me being able to pet him a little, to more & more petting (& treats of course). I remember one fall while out on a walk I slipped on some wet leaves & fell. He came running up to me & I wasn't sure what would happen. It would be the first time my face was so close to his. In the split second it took him to run back from the end of the leash to me I wondered if we had become close enough to be ok or if I was about to say goodbye to my nose! Well, Cam bounded back to me, covered my face with kisses & nudged his nose under my arm to get me back up.
With a huge sigh (& some happy tears) I knew at that moment just how much this poor guy needed to love & be loved. We got back from our walk & I sat in his run with him for a while just marveling at how far he had come. He wants to have friends so badly, he just needs people who will take the time to do that with him.
And once Cam accepts you into his circle, he gives you his whole entire heart. It's not like "yeah I can walk him, but I don't trust him completely". If you're in with Cam, you're in with Cam!
He has made so many new friends over the past couple years. So many volunteers can spend time with Cam and they can all attest to how great he really is. He is loyal, he does everything he can to please his friends, & not to mention he is a good kisser! If you're Cam's friend you suddenly find yourself wondering if "compulsive smoocher" is an actual condition, lol!
To attest to his love & loyalty, let me mention all the torturous things I've done with Cam: I've dressed him up in silly costumes, I've clipped & painted his toenails, I've taken him out for ice cream, I've brushed his fur, I've brushed his teeth! Most pet owners can't do some of these things with their own dogs. Cam has never even given me a sideways glance when I attempt any of these things. He never tries to wiggle away. He enjoys subjecting himself to all of it just because I ask him to. It's not always for treats. It's because he loves me & trusts me as much as I love & trust him.
He is available for adoption & he has many friends, but he will always be "my dog"
Lisa
StubbyDog Volunteer
StubbyDog on Facebook