Oreo

My story

Oreo Male black/white Shih Tzu/Chihuahua/who knows mix Estimated age: 4 years old Oh, Oreo. This little guy has a long history and needs a very specific home that understands that Oreo has numerous boundaries that must be respected. His previous owner took him from a neglectful situation where he was leashed to a door knob for the majority of the day. The owner was a cat person and had numerous cats, but she took Oreo because she did not want him to be in that situation. She had Oreo for 1-2 years but she would say that she was honestly a little scared of him which is understandable after getting to know him. She had been looking to rehome him for a long time and Fig and Friends Pet Rescue was able to take him in. He was decent at his foster home but definitely still had challenges and had to be sedated at the vet (CSNIP) to be fully shaved. He had actually been to CSNIP before with his previous owner for fully sedate shave downs because he was known to be a bite risk despite having high dose anti-anxiety and sedative medications on board. He was adopted out by a lady in her 90s and her daughter which lived with her. They were great in taking Oreo to cooperative training classes at A Pleasant Dog and had him started on daily Fluoxetine (Prozac). The trainer also suspected a pain component to his reactivity but when he was taken to this owner's veterinarian for assessment for a potential pain medication trial, they decided not to try because they could not locate at painful areas during his exam (more on this later!!). We thought things were going well but somewhere along the line things took a turn and he was returned for multiple bites with one reported bite supposedly being severe. The details are inconsistent with what we have observed and no bite report was submitted which would have been required by law had they actually gone to the hospital for sutures as they said. It was all very odd but is neither here nor there. We honestly thought that Oreo was going to have to be euthanized due to behavior. A vet tech at CSNIP was able to foster him for his assessment period and, out of an abundance of caution, for a bite quarantine in case he had truly bit. He came back severely matted once again so he was sedated and shaved. We also took full body xrays because something seemed off and he was standing in an odd stance that indicated pain. He was also very overreactive and sensitive to touch so we were fully expecting to find arthritis in his spine, joints, or something of the sort. Nothing looked out of the ordinary on xrays though. His foster discussed his case with multiple veterinarians at CSNIP and they realized that they forgot to do a really thorough dental exam because they were focused on assessing everything else and shaving him the previous day while he was still sedated. It was also noted that he seemed to chew oddly like something wasn't quite right. He was sedated another day and although his teeth looked to be in good shape, the veterinarian noticed a potential uneven area/swelling on the left lower side of his jaw. They took skull xrays to see what was going on thinking he had potentially broken his jaw. Thankfully, his jaw was not broken, but they found a very painful tooth root abscess and the roots of this tooth were also growing inwards towards each other instead of away. The certified dog trainer was right... there WAS a pain component of his reactivity! He was scheduled for a dental to extract this tooth and thankfully all of his other teeth were in good shape. He was also missing this same tooth on the right side of his mouth so potentially it also had been malformed and had just fallen out at some point after becoming diseased or he just never had it to begin with. We can't say that this solved all of his behavior issues, but it certainly made a MASSIVE difference. His foster has had two of her coworkers who are certified dog trainers help her assess him while he has been in her care and we've learned a lot. First of all and most importantly HE HAS BOUNDARIES. He does not like strangers touching him and his foster is always checking in with him when he is being pet to make sure he is still an active participant and wants to be pet still. And guess what? If he does not want to be pet anymore or is uncomfortable with an interaction, he will clearly show it in his body language and will choose removing himself from the situation as his first choice. He chooses to remove himself and walk away and this choice has to be respected. Being a little dog this is hard because people are so used to just always being able to pick up and carry little dogs whenever we want but you have to ensure that Oreo is also comfortable with this. Every time I pick him up, I pause and give him time to process what I want to do and he'll walk away if he does not want to be picked up or hop up if he is fine with it which, 95% of the time, he is. This includes putting on his leash which has been a huge issue I've been working with him on. He is still uncomfortable with the situation and becomes very stiff, tucks his tail in between his legs, and stares back at you but he will allow you to clip his leash 95% of the time. He is incredibly smart and if he does not want you to put on his leash and he sees you pick up the leash, he will give a little growl and walk away. If this happens, I respect that he has made his choice and do not attempt to put his leash on because he's already told me no and if he's still pushed despite his clear efforts to communicate, that is when a bite happens. This is true for EVERY dog! I have brought him to work with me multiple times and he does great around new people and my coworkers as long as they do not try to touch him. He needs someone who will advocate for him and say "Please do not touch him. I know he is happy to see you and jumping up on your legs but if you reach your hand out to him then his body language will switch and he'll try to run away because he is not comfortable with being pet and will bite if his communication is ignored. Just let him be and do not touch him but you can give him treats." And he does FANTASTIC. Since he is selective and does closely bond with one particular person, he would do best in a home with either one person or with one person who is willing to be his best friend. He definitely picks favorites and is clingy. He does fine being alone for the day and has been kenneled before but is typically left out and he is more than happy to just sleep on the bed or couch while you are gone. He does not get along with other dogs or at least not bigger dogs. He does get along with cats but can get jealous of them if he wants to cuddle and they try to intrude. If he does growl, I tell him to go lay down to not reinforce that resource (people) guarding behavior and he will go lay down and reset and come back when ready. Oreo really is a crazy and sweet boy who can be very successful as long as he has someone very understanding of his boundaries that must be respected. He also needs someone who is patient and can work on SLOWLY introducing him to triggering stimuli so he learns he does not have to be fearful of things like brushes, putting his leash or harness on, or someone walking outside, etc. If interested, his foster will contact you to help decide if he is a good fit! Medical: All dogs are spayed/neutered, current on age appropriate vaccines (rabies, distemper, lepto, bordetella), microchipped, given flea/tick/heartworm prevention and dewormer, heartworm tested, and any other veterinary care that is needed prior to adoption. If you are interested in adopting, fill out an application online at www.figandfriendspetrescue.org/adopt

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Oreo, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.