Charming, lovable and sometimes a troublemaker, Gary was the dog that everyone adored but no one wanted to adopt.
We rescued Gary in 2015. He had been tossed out to live on the street by his family. They said they didn’t want him back because he had mange. And so, Gary went to live at the sanctuary, recovered from mange and ehrlichia, and became one of our most beloved sanctuary dogs ever.
Gary absolutely adored people and was enthusiastic about his passions, in a sort of bull-in-a-china-shop way. He was leash aggressive and extremely possessive of HIS food, HIS toys and HIS people. Without a rigorous behaviour program at the sanctuary, we hoped to find a foster home or adoptive family with the skills to focus Gary’s energy. In four years, we had no luck in our quest.
So, we were super excited to have the opportunity to send Gary to a behaviour modification specialist in Canada in early 2019. We arranged transport and took Gary for his pre-flight health check. To make a long story short, instead of going to Canada, Gary had his spleen removed. Gary had cancer. Our vet gave him a few weeks or months to live.
We put out a final appeal for a foster home for Gary. A wonderful couple came forward and offered to give him hospice care. They had a perfect situation with no other dogs and a secure walled yard. Gary quickly settled into the patio chairs and continued to embrace life with full enthusiasm. Gary finally had a family of his own!
