The latest update on Cody from Sara:

We have been working on Cody’s separation anxiety and it is much better. Last night was the big test as we took Tiki to a class and left Cody alone and uncrated for about 90 minutes. While he whined a little when we first left, our neighbors said he stopped almost immediately and when we came home, the apartment was in fine shape and Cody was napping on the couch waiting for us.

We have been working a lot on leash training and, while he still pulls, he is much better about keeping close and only very rarely tries to jump on people on the street. On leash, it is like dealing with a puppy and other dogs tend to react to him as such since he gets overexcited on every new route, but as he gets to know his surroundings, he is much calmer.

Finally, as Cody gets more comfortable, he is also willing to assert himself more. He will now come on to the couch uninvited and snuggle against me for pets and, not unlike Tiki, when you tell him “off” he looks at you like you are insane. Why should he move while he is so comfortable? But, if you are stern enough, he will get off after a few stern commands. Also, he had a follow-up vet appointment recently and his coat is much healthier and almost all the build-up on his teeth is gone. Plus, he has gained 4 pounds in the last month and is starting to fill out a little. He is not a huge fan of doggie day care or dog parks though and prefers long jogs on leash and to play one-on-one with Justin with a tug toy or a tennis ball.

Posted on June 25th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Cody | No Comments »

Cody is about 18 months old and comes from upstate New York. From what we were told, his previous owners surrendered him to a shelter where he was adopted out to a family with a handicapped child. This family allowed their child to walk Cody on a leash alone. One day Cody saw another dog, pulled away from the child “to charge the other dog” and was returned to the shelter as “dog aggressive.” He was scheduled to be put to sleep (PTS) within a few days. We already had a relationship with this shelter and they got in touch with us right away. They said Cody was very sweet, becoming stressed by the shelter environment, but tagged as aggressive and therefore not adoptable. Would we take him? We trust this shelter, so, yes, we would take him.

We didn’t actually HAVE an open foster home at the time, so Cody went into temp foster with Sara, our Vice President, and this is what she wrote a few days after he arrived:

I was really nervous about how Cody would do. Dog Aggression can be serious and I had no idea what was in store. However, it has been an amazing few days. However, this is not a dog aggressive dog!

Tiki and Cody took to each other immediately.

They wrestled, played and napped together. They went on walks together. Not only was Cody not dog aggressive, he was sweet, submissive and fearless. He is willing to share food and toys (which makes him better behaved than Tiki) and explores everywhere. The hardest part of walking him is that he tries to kiss every person and dog that he sees. Do I believe he pulled on a leash to get to another dog? Sure. Do I believe there was any aggression in that act? Not a chance. Oh, and maybe the adoptive parents should have tried this, but Cody will “heel” when asked. Hard to pull a leash when you are walking in step with the leash-holder.

Cody loves to snuggle. He kisses us constantly.

Cody was clearly once well-loved. He has the best recall of any dog I have seen in a long time, knows his name, has a perfect sit, down, roll over, shake and can catch treats and toys in the air. He won’t come up on furniture unless invited. He will “drop it” or “leave it” as you command. Anything to please. Oh, and he is completely gentle with the children who live upstairs.

I have no idea what happened that made someone give up this sweet and loving soul. I don’t know how you can look in Cody’s eyes and live with yourself after letting him down. And yet someone did.

Can you believe this dog almost didn’t get another chance?

Posted on June 2nd, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Cody | No Comments »