Meet Lara, June and Cleo. They’re three dogs looking for what so many dogs are looking. A home. All three are sweet tempered, loving, and get along great with other dogs and cats too. They love to play and they don’t have a mean bone in their bodies. So why are they still here? Well, they need a little work, and we need your help.
These dogs were sent here from a rescue group in Puerto Rico. They reached out to us after reading one of our blog posts, hoping to make some connections to the states. Although Pets Alive no longer has a facility on the island, the plight of the dogs of Puerto Rico is still close to our hearts. We were eager to help this group with their first transport to the states.

According to the rescue group, the seven dogs were all raised in foster homes. They were supposed to be well socialized, walk great on leashes, and be very easy placements. Four of them were, and we found new homes for them within two weeks. The other three dogs were a different story. They cowered in fear in the back of their crates, shaking. They would not come out at all for the first two weeks. They weren’t housebroken, and they were terrified of a leash. Any attempt to put a leash on them resulted in the dogs rolling around in fear, desperate to get away.

We immediately contacted the rescue that sent the dogs to us to gather more information. It turns out that while the dogs were indeed in foster homes they had basically lived in a pen in the back yard. The rescue group meant well, but it turns out the dogs were basically feral. Now that the dogs were in our care there wasn’t much we could do about their temperament’s but work with them. We would do what we always do here at Pets Alive and focus on giving them everything that they need to be successful in getting a new home.

We had a staff meeting and developed a training plan for the dogs. Afraid that the dogs would be too fearful in the kennel to make any progress, we outfitted our quarantine room for their home. Volunteers took shifts sitting with the dogs, talking to them, feeding them hot dogs by hand, and teaching them that it is OK to be pet. After two months of what amounts to round the clock socialization and interaction they’ve come a long way. They still don’t come out of their crate for new people, but they will come out and eat from the hand of someone they know. They will play when we aren’t in visiting with them or if a trusted person sits for a long time with them.  We were fortunate enough to find an experienced foster home for Cleo, who was the most fearful. She’s made great progress in housebreaking and is now able to walk on a leash, too. The problem with working with these dogs in a quarantine room is that it doesn’t get them ready to live in a real home.

So what we’re asking is for some help. We really need to find either foster or forever homes for all three of these dogs. Ideally, we’d like to find three separate homes for them because they will progress more quickly without each other to fall back on. We’d love for the homes to have a dog that’s good with other dogs and a fenced in yard would be ideal.  It would be perfect if we could place them with someone who works from home so that someone is around all the time with them. Neither of those things is absolutely necessary. The things that are necessary: You or your family must be patient, kind, and understanding. We will provide you with what you need to get started, as well as all the time you need with our staff trainer. You provide the love. If you are interested in fostering these dogs, please email us at info@petsalive.org and we will  be in touch as soon as possible. Thanks for participating in the rescue of these girls. They deserve every possible chance for success.

Fostering saves lives! With your help we can remain committed to these sweet girls and still continue to pull more like them to safety.