Jacob has been adopted!
Sponsored by Toba, in honour of Toby and Penny. Every furbaby deserves a loving home and happiness
Jacob is a shy, timid boy who came to rescue from a hoarding situation along with Paddy, Opal and Roscoe in the fall. He has needed more time in foster than the rest of his friends, as he’s still struggling to build his confidence, but he’s made huge improvements over the past couple weeks and is finally ready to find his special forever family!
He’s been working on building trust with his foster dad by watching his foster sister’s positive interactions around the house. He doesn’t like getting caught watching- as soon as you look at him, he puts his head down and away. Though with every passing day he shows signs of being more comfortable. Most of his day he lies in his bed in his pen (with the door open so he can leave freely). Over the past few weeks, when his foster dad leaves the room, Jacob sneaks out to go see where he went. Most recently, he’s decided he’s curious about people food, and wants to come watch when you’re eating. He doesn’t get people scraps, but it’s been great watching him be brave and venture out of his crate to be nearby during mealtimes. In an average dog this may not be the best quality, but for Jacob it’s a nice sign that he’s progressing. Once he’s out of his crate, he’s been taking naps out on the main area rug, which is another huge leap. He’s even taken a couple naps on the couch, though with one eye open. If his foster sister is getting pets, sometimes he’ll sneak over to lick his foster dad’s hand, before running back to his bed. He’s gotten more comfortable being touched and handled. He even allows for his nails to be trimmed without putting up a fight. On colder days (every day lately), he lets you dress him in his winter coat or sweater without much fuss. He’s cautious but knows the routine now.
He will take treats from your hand if you bring it to him, but he generally won’t approach you to take it. Hand feeding his meals served as a good way for his foster dad to bond with him, so his forever family may find success doing the same. There have been no signs of food aggression, but he will sometimes give a single quiet growl to his sister if she gets too close to his bed. His biggest trigger is hands coming towards him, especially to pick him up. He has nipped people in the past, so when you have to pick him up it has to be slowly and gently. He will allow it if you ease him into it. If you spook him, he will calm down fairly quickly if you leave him alone for a few minutes. His future forever family will need to understand that being held makes him uncomfortable, and you will need to give him plenty of time to get used to your touch. He doesn’t find it relaxing at this stage.
When he’s left home alone, the door to his pen/crate is best left closed as he’s still working on his potty training, and he will be at the door barking as soon as he hears your key in the door. He also barks if someone knocks at the door, though he will settle if you tell him to stop. His potty training is at about 85%. He’s willing to go outside, but if he has to go and you can’t take him immediately, he’ll do his business in the house. It’s been over a week since the last incident, so it will just come down to a diligent family who gets him outside on a routine. If you’re delayed in getting your shoes and coat on, keep talking to him to maintain his attention and he’ll keep holding it, doing a little dance to encourage you to hurry up! When he gets outside he will pee nearly immediately, and he seems to prefer peeing on the driveway instead of the grass. Inside, he keeps his pen clean for the most part, aside from a couple accidents in the early days that may re-emerge when he moves into his forever home. He will use a pee pad, but may also aim for your baseboards or his fur siblings dog beds. Long term it’s reasonable to believe he’ll master his housetraining. He LOVES going outside, so you will never have trouble getting him ready to head out, even in the cold.
Because of the barking it’s recommended that he not be an apartment dog. It’s worth noting that when he’s been left home with the door to his pen open, the excessive barking is accompanied by a tail wagging a mile a minute. These are more good signs that he’s making progress. Every time he’s been left home alone, his excitement at his foster dad’s return has increased. It still starts with lots of barking but includes extra tail wags and now includes racing around the house, sneaking up for a kiss if you’re lucky, before he returns to hiding in his crate (sometimes he forgets he’s supposed to be shy).
As soon as you ask him if he wants a walk, he’s out of his pen and at the front door. He is an excellent walker with perfect leash manners. He never pulls and always stays right by your side, or slightly in your blind spot where you can’t look at him. Cars and other people will sometimes spook him and cause him to stop walking, but he never barks or tries to run away. He’s a nervous car passenger, riding in a crate in the back seat for safety. He shivers and shakes, but will eventually settle. Jacob would not be a candidate for off leash dog parks. Getting a hold of him would be next to impossible in open spaces. For the first 3 weeks in his current foster home, he had a leash attached to his collar at all times because he wouldn’t allow his foster dad to get close enough to hook him up. In the past week, he’s graduated from this stage, and will now approach to have the leash attached. He’s shown tremendous willingness to build trust and despite being constantly cautious, this little guy shows his bravery every day. If he has a backyard, it will have to be very well fenced. Being so thin and narrow, he would likely be able to squeeze through fence boards that are too spaced, or any gaps at the ground. He’s had the opportunity to visit a fenced backyard and he had a great time running around in the snow, and came back to the door to go inside without any fuss. He really would do best in a home with a fenced yard, as his opportunity to run around brought out a ton of his playful personality that his foster dad hasn’t had the chance to observe until then.
Jacob has excellent dog confidence. Being from a hoarding situation, his primary interactions were with other dogs. We believe it will be necessary for his forever family to have another balanced dog or two, who can continue to help build his confidence. He’s slowly been trying to play with his sister in the past week, but she’s not very interested. A gentle fur sibling who will show some interest in him would be a great asset. Jacob has not been tested with cats or children, but has not shown any aggression to either around the neighbourhood. With his timidness and history of nipping, it’s probably best that he doesn’t live with younger kids, unless they have a strong understanding of how to respect a timid dog.
Overall, Jacob is a very sweet boy who came from a hard past life. He’s been a joy to foster and has proven that he’s ready to find his forever family. He needs patience and understanding, and a quiet spot in the house to call his own. In return he will reward you with the joy of watching his progress in building trust with you. He’s got a bright future ahead!
Jacob was lovingly fostered by Mike
