Sunny

Mixed Breed · Male · Adult · 5 years

Sunny was originally born in Romania and rescued from a public kill shelter by another charity. Unfortunately, the home they found him didn't work out so he has come to us to try and find him his second chance at happiness. Sunny was born in Romania and travelled across to the UK as a young pup. He spent roughly 1 year in a home before we were contacted to say they could no longer keep him. Sunny is a quirky boy, he is anxious and will greet people with a toothy dalmation-like smile. This is friendly but it does show us that he can be worried at times. He will create a brilliant bond with the people that he learns he can trust. He becomes super excited when some of our volunteers come in for their shift and all he wants to do is spend time his with them! When Sunny knows you, he is a very affectionate boy and enjoys a good tickle. He can be worried at times about new people and so we have been gradually introducing him to more volunteers on shift. Sunny absolutely loves his walks but over the months he has got more worried with strangers and traffic and can react by barking at them. We have been working on this and we have got him to the point were he can go for a long perioud of time with no reactions or he will look at the things he'd normally kick off at - but then look back at his handler for a little treat for being brave and not reacting in any way. He is a very intelligent boy but really has started to lack in confidence, he just needs to learn that not everything is out to hurt him and that he is now safe with his handler / new owner. This is all a work in progress though and training will need to continue with his new family. Sunny does have a very basic level of training and will give paw and sit for treats, he also knows how to 'touch' and give eye contact when you say his name. He seems to enjoy training a lot so we highly recommend that his potential adopter continues this with him as it does seem to give him extra confidence. Unfortunately, Sunny does also have some guarding issues. It's almost like pure panic sets in if he believes you're going to make him do something that he doesn't want for example: moving him off the sofa or if he thinks you're going to take something away from him that he wants, this is especially the case with food. We never put him in these situations at the rescue but he will still protect what he enjoys. He will give you all of the signals to tell you that he is uncomfortable with the situation, he needs someone that will listen to those signals and not push him into thinking he has to take action because he hasn't been listened to. Someone with experience with dogs with guarding issues would be a huge bonus however a behaviourist would also be of a huge benefit to give Sunny the best possible start of settling into a new home. Sunny can get very excited to meet playful and friendly dogs and he's turned out to be one of our best dogs to mix the others with in kennels. He can be too much for some quieter dogs due to his very energic play style. Sunny has lots of dogs at the rescue that he loves going out for walks with and tends to enjoy meeting other dogs out and about although the occasional dog, he can be reactive too, especially in tact males. Sunny has displayed some guarding behaviour around toys and food and therefore will benefit from living as an only dog, but can have dog friends outside of the home when he has settled. Sunny is a candidate for Foster with a view to Adoption. This process is very similar to adoption, the applicant must have the intention to adopt Sunny and will be required to reserve him, the adoptions team will provide the applicant and Sunny lots of support whilst he is settling into the home. Foster is to last around 4 weeks, and after this time, if he is settling well the adoption will commence. Sunny has displayed some guarding behaviours in his previous home, and so an experienced owner that is happy to take on advice from staff will be brilliant for him. Sunny is a dog that has a lot of love to give and we want nothing more than to see him succeed and live a happy life in his forever home. He may require multiple meets with an applicant before reservation can go ahead. Sunny underwent surgery April 2022 for cruciate disease and luxating patella in his hind left leg. He was on cage rest for 12 weeks. This was such a big thing for Sunny. It was so important that his mind was kept active during this stage to prevent him getting bored and acquiring any behavioural issues. Time, patience, love and care is what this boy needs. He did so well and we are really proud of him for it. It is possible that Sunny may require surgery on the other knee too however, he is doing great at the moment and we are working to give him daily walks to keep up his muscle mass. Best case scenario is that there will be no need for more surgery on the other knee and that the other leg will be strong enough to support them both.

Listed 2 months ago