Originally named “Gus” by the Friends Animal Shelter, details eventually came out as to who he was and why he is so scared of people.  You’d be scared too if someone shot you in the head!  Scout is here to find serenity and learn trust once again.

Last Updated: Nov 26, 2020

Base Info:

• Arrival date: Jan. 14, 2020
• Breed: Shepherd Mix
• Sex: Male
• Age: Youth, Adult, Mature, Senior
• Weight: @ 55 Pounds
• Spayed/Neutered: Unknown
• General Health: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
• Temperament: Nervous, timid but not aggressive.
• Gets Along with: People, Dogs, Cats
• Crate Trained: No
• Housebroken: Maybe.
  
• Departure date: Undetermined

History

Scout was part of a “pack” of dogs whose owner let them run loose in the neighborhood.  One neighbor took exception to that and shot Scout in the head.  He survived — physically — but is so scared of everything now he won’t let most people anywhere near him.

Scout’s Progress Summary:

Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.

Gallery

In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.

Progress Updates

Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.

Jan 14

Today Scout bade farewell (for a while) to Autumn at Friends Animal Shelter.  She was the only staff member able to get inside Scout’s defenses (and his kennel).  She accomplished this with her gentle spirit — and bags of Krystal cheeseburgers.

I took her advice and showed up for my first “interview” with Scout with a bag of bribery in tow.  It worked, he let me come into his kennel and sit in one corner while he cowered in the opposite corner.  But he let me in!

Yesterday Marie bought a box of White Castle cheeseburgers at the grocery store — they’re pretty much the same, right?  Maybe not!  Today I held out a quarter of a White Castle to Scout, he sniffed it and turned up his nose, “That is NOT a Krystal cheeseburger!”  He wanted nothing to do with it — until we got him into the transport box and were on our way to PMFC, then he decided to pick out the meat and cheese, but stomped the bun into paste on the floor of his box.

Jan 19

It’s going to be COLD over the next few nights, down in the teens.  Yeah, yeah, the Wisconsinites scoff when I say that, “You call THAT cold?” Well, yeah, in Tennessee we DO call that cold.  And I’m concerned about Scout.  All the others will go inside at night — and in the day if it’s too cold, just come out for potty breaks.  But Scout isn’t having any part of wearing a collar yet, much less going for leash walks.

The plan has always been to have inside and outside areas for our kennels.  But the inside part has not come to pass yet.  But we decided to try to do something with it for Scout.

The building is still full of lumber stacks.  There is an aisle between one stack and the kennel side wall.  We bought a couple of brood lamps to hang over that aisle, put a piece of carpet on the floor set a raised bed in there with blankets on it and a bed warmer under them, then blocked off the end of the aisle with a large live trap stood on end.  Then, I unblocked the door to the interior so he could get in there.  I put his water dish in there, and his food dish.  He went in to eat then came back out.  I went in to retrieve the dish and it was noticeably warmer so it should stay reasonably comfortable even when it gets down to the 20’s outside.

Jan 26

Scout still prefers his outside bed.  But then, it’s only getting down to the mid 30’s at night.  I think enclosed spaces make him nervous.  But someone has been in sleeping on that bed in the warm room.  So, maybe, late at night when things are boring …

When I take Phoenix her lunch bowl, I warm up a White Castle cheeseburger for Scout.  He has gotten to where his eyes light up when I come out at noon.  I tear it into quarters and he takes the pieces from my fingers.  He will let me  pet him on the muzzle, and when I go in his kennel to perform “housekeeping” he often just lies on his bed and watches instead of scooting about trying to find an escape route.  We’re getting there.

Feb 4

Feb 16

This boy has reached a tableau. He is comfortable with me being in his room and will let me pet him, but he’s still too nervous to put a collar on. I think it would do him a world of good to get him out of his kennel occasionally for some yard time. But I’d need to be able to get him back in, and that means a collar and lead at the least.

He too has an inside space, a larger space, heated with a brood lamp where he can escape the bitter cold. He usually does not use it. I can only guess that he prefers to be out where he can see what’s going on. So he has a heat lamp over his outside bed as well. There have been a couple of times that I went out for Phoenix’s early walk and Scout was in his hidey hole.

March 6

Scout hates the camera, so it’s hard to get photos or videos of his progress, but we are making some progress.

He will now let me pet him any time I want.  He still loves his cheeseburger for lunch, and will come right over and stand next to me to get the pieces I tear off for him.  He does a little spin-in-a-circle happy dance when I bring him food.  His tail is not tucked up hard under his belly all the time.

Heavy rain spooks him really badly and this is about the only time he will go hide inside the building.  Otherwise he prefers to lounge on his Kuranda under the heat lamp.  That steel roof IS loud in a heavy rain.  I should probably have the underside of it sprayed with urethane foam to deaden that and insulate it against heat transfer in the summer.

March 20

We have made slow, steady progress with Scout.  He still stresses and is anxious about human interaction, but he will let me pet him any time I want.  He is especially sensitive about touching the left side of his head behind the ear, that may be where the bullet wound is.

When I bring him his cheeseburger for lunch, he does a little happy dance by twirling in a circle.  I wish I could get video of it, but if I bring the camera, even if I set it up outside the kennel, he spooks out and won’t do anything.  He will walk right over and stand in front of me to get the cheeseburger pieces I hand him.

His tail is now longer permanently tucked tight up under his belly, Most of the time it hangs down and is motionless.

I did get a collar on him.  That caused him to lie on his bed and tremble the rest of the day.

Its been a couple of days now and he’s getting used to the collar, as long as I don’t touch it.  It’s possible it presses on that bullet wound and hurts – but that’s a guess.  A harness might be better for him, but getting him into a harness is a pipe dream right now.  My goal is to get him out in the yard on a lead.  He’d do better if he had some freedom.

April 15

Every animal lover knows that a dogs tail tells volumes about what the dog is thinking or feeling. (If you don’t know, check this out: https://pineymountainfoster.org/dogs-tail-tells-a-tale/ ) So you will understand the happiness I feel over the changes in Scout.

Scout is (or was) terrified. So much so that he was perishing at the shelter. So he came to Piney Mountain to find some serenity. It’s been a long road, a road paved with White Castle Cheese Sliders as inducements for him to let me get close (Thank you Autum: that was a great tip). He has spent much of his time with his tail tucked up tight under his belly. Terrified. You would too if someone yelled at you for being in his yard and then shot you in the head. He survived, but he carries more than physical scars.

He has come to anticipate my mid-day visit, when I bring him a warm cheese slider, tear it up into pieces and hand feed it to him. He got into a habit of doing a little spinning dance of joy when I approached his kennel with his favorite snack. In the past few days he has started doing this when I bring him his morning and evening kibbles too. And yesterday he turned loose and allowed his tail to come up above his spine as he spun around. I loved seeing that!

He allows me to pet him on the head and shoulders. He often draws down to the floor: he’s still nervous about it, but not fearful. And if I’m late with his lunch, he’s not afraid to call me out, reminding me that he’s waiting. It’s slow, but he’s making progress.

It may be that Scout will need someone special to give him a forever home. Someone who is patient and kind, and gentle. He may never be a “normal” dog again. But Scout is a sweet fellow. An exceptionally handsome fellow. A good boy. He wants to be loved, and to love, but that fear of being hurt again gets in the way. It won’t be long now that the crust is cracking, and he’s opening up. Now that that tail is rising to the occasion.

June 27

Scout show definite signs of wanting to come out and play with the Huskies, especially Cyrus.  But when I go in with a leash, the leash spooks him – foreign objects are scary.  I can go in with my pooper scooper, hose, floor brush, squeegee, and disinfectant foamer and he’s fine with all that because he recognizes these things now.  I’ll start taking a leash in with me at treat times and work on getting him out in the yard.

One thing I must say is that he tries SO hard to keep his room clean.  He lifts his leg and pees THROUGH the fencing to get his urine outside, and he has one small spot where he leaves his poop, and no where else.  If I can get him out for leash walks, he will “housebreak” easily.

Nov 26

Very little has changed.  We seem to have reached a plateau with this boy that he is not wiling to move past.  It’s time to seek some other solution for this sweet boy.  Obviously I don’t have what it takes to fix Scout.

This is a foster dog diary post about Bandit.  New information will be added to the end of this post so all info on this dog is kept in one place and in chronological order. If you subscribe for updates, a short note will be sent when updates are posted. If you don’t subscribe, check back periodically to see what’s been added.

Last Updated: Jan 26, 2020

Bandit has been in foster care with Steele Away Home – Canine Foster and Rescue for quite some time.  He came into the program with mild aggression issues – more like intimidation issues.  Anyone who came up to him timidly would get growled at.  A confident approach yielded acceptance.  That foster believes she has him worked through that and, for a change, PMFC gets to be the Finishing School instead of Boot Camp.

Base Info:

• Arrival date: Nov. 19, 2019
• Breed: Shepherd Mix
• Sex: Male
• Age: Puppy, Young Adult, Mature, Senior
• Weight: @ 50 Pounds
• Neutered: Yes
• General Health: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
• Temperament: Playful, happy, friendly
• Gets Along with: People, Dogs, (Cats unknown)
• Crate Trained: Yes
• Housebroken: Yes
  
• Departure date: January 13, 2020, going to S.A.V.E.

History

Bandit was raised by a couple who lived in a camper.  When that was no longer a suitable arrangement he went through a couple of homes and into rescue because he had developed a bad attitude.  Can you blame him?  But Ashton seems to have done a fine job of working him through that and restoring peace and happiness to this giddy boy.

Progress Summary:

Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.

Progress Updates

In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.

GALLERY

Detailed Notes

Nov. 19

Bandit has been living with Ashton for a couple of months as she worked him through an “intimidation” issue.  Upon his arrival I greeted him and he responded warmly.  He and Blondie Bear got acquainted, played a little, then Bandit went off to sniff out the play yard.  Before she left, Ashton put Bandit in his kennel and he responded well.  He is getting along with his neighbors: Major and Spartacus, and all the house dogs have been out to greet him.

At bed time, Bandit went inside the bunkhouse with Major and Spartacus.  I showed him which crate is his, he went in after the cookie I tossed in, then sniffed out his blankets before settling in to sleep.

In the morning all was well in his crate.  He walked with me back to the play yard and kennels, where his breakfast was waiting.  But it was too early for him to eat (6:00 AM).  He preferred to go out in the play yard and run in the dark.  And run, and run, and run…

Nov 22

While all three main kennels were occupied, Bandit occupied the middle one with Major on one side and Spartacus on the other.  Bandit would occasionally speak loudly at Spartacus (a small beagle).  Starty is about as unassuming as anyone could be.  We know that Bandit had issues of trying intimidate those who seemed weak or afraid of him.  So when Major left I moved Bandit into the kennel Major had vacated (after sanitizing it, of course).  For the time being that leaves an empty kennel between them to mitigate any chance of hostility between them.

I allowed Buddy Beagle to come outside today for the mid-day play session.  Buddy and Bandit played together a little then got into a contest of dominance, first with paws on shoulders, then trying to mount one another.  That got Buddy to growling so I ended play time between them.  Bandit seemed to be good natured through the whole episode, it was Buddy who felt pressured to stand up to the bigger dog.

Bandit has kept his room clean, waiting for his play times to relieve himself.  He has been quiet almost all of the time, and he loves going inside at night to sleep in his crate.  He’s not thrilled about the crate part, but does not fight it either.  So far he has been friendly with everyone who has been here.

Nov. 26

Bandit is getting frustrated.  He wants SO much to be a house dog, sees other dogs going into the house and stands at the door, barking “LET ME IN”.

But despite his frustrations he is being good.  He keeps his kennel clean.  He keeps his crate clean at night, has not torn up bedding in either location, and he plays well with others.  Two of the beagles are intimidated by his size and enthusiasm and won’t play with him.  One Beagle, the smallest one, turns the table on him by getting in under Bandit and pushing his legs.  This confuses Bandit so that he hops around with an adorably confused look on his face, “What’s going on, what is he doing?” then he heads for his kennel.  This 23 pound Beagle is just too much for him!

Probably because of his frustration he has not warmed up to me much.  He is not unfriendly, just would rather be running in the yard than getting petted by me on his play times.  He used to come when I called him and would let me pet him a while.  Now he comes to within about 20 feet and stands there looking at me like, “When I get what *I* want, you get what you want.”  That has to be the Shepherd in him!

Nov 30

Bandit likes to play in the yard with Blondie Bear.  When it’s his play time I leave him out for extra time while I do a chore: yard pick-up, mail run, or maybe a spot of gardening.  Today I was heading out for the mail run.  Bandit was down in the low corner.  I went out the middle gate.  I didn’t pay too much attention to Bandit’s activity because he would have to come all the way around the garden to get to where I was.

But in a masterful stroke of precision timing, just as I pushed the gate open enough to slip out, I heard, Pa-dum, pa-dum, pa-dum then felt a WHOOSH as Bandit rocketed through the gate with me.  NOOOOOOO!

Until a dog will respond to “Come” consistently I always attach a “handle” before I let them out into the yard.  This is a piece of light rope about 8 feet long with a piston clip on one end.  Nothing on the other end that might hurt him should it snag on something as he flies around the yard.  Something I can stomp on, then grab when he’s playing keep away.  Which he does sometimes.

Rather than getting upset (and letting him know he’s pushed my buttons) I talked to him the same as I would in the yard.  He ran a loop around my Mom’s house (probably to say “Hello” to the mail carrier who was picking up a box down there) then a loop around me to say, “Lookee, lookee, I’m FREE!” then off into the woods above our house.  I could hear his progress as he crashed through the brush, but could not see him.

I began to envision the poster: “Last seen heading north on Piney Mountain Rd”.  But then I heard it: children’s laughter.  Ah, ha!

I went down the driveway and began hiking along the roadway to the next house.  When I got there, there were three young boys, the dog who lives there, and the Dad in the yard.  Dad had Bandit by that rope “handle” and was looking at the tag I put on all of our dogs collars, just in case.  I called out a “hello” and asked him to hang onto my escapee.

The boys gathered around Bandit and all seemed to be having a good time.  So, we can add “good with kids” to his resume.  This is not my favorite way to learn this, though.

Dec 8

Today I tested Bandit with Josephine and Buddy Beagle.

Dec 12

Bandit was not happy with sleeping in the bunkhouse alone after Dawson Wigglestump left to go to Boston. But we have a new friend for him: Burton Flirtsworthy. But Burton is a lover not a wrestler, and he’s weakened by being starved half to death. We’re feeding him 5 times a day and teaching him to be a good boy. Can he handle being Bandit’s friend?

Bandit’s New Bunkie – Burton from Doug Bittinger on Vimeo.

Dec 16

Bandit has a lot of style.  He does the “shake” (paw) thing with extra flair, running in the yard is a fluid motion, and even when just lounging around in the sun he makes it look like he’s the best at it there is.

Bandit is willing to play with any of the other dogs.  Some of them are not so willing because he’s a bit rambunctious in his play style, and that’s intimidating at first.  But he can scale back to play with smaller dogs too. (See Dec. 8 entry)

Dec 28

Bandit is becoming frustrated at not being invited inside to be a house dog and is acting out a bit: tearing up his bed pads in his kennel and deliberately peeing and pooping in there even right after he’s been out in the yard.

The bedding in the crate he sleeps in at night remains untouched, and he has not defiled that.  That is “in doors”, so is closer to what he wants.

We have had no incidents of intimidation or aggression with him.  He can be pigheaded about thinks like coming back in his kennel after free-play.  I still have to put a “handle” on him to have any hope of catching him before he says he done playing.  If I let him go until he says he’s done, he will return and freely enter his kennel to get a drink and a treat.  Before then, he will play keep-away with me.

Jan 5

Today Bandit met his match for exuberant play: a skinny little beagle girl.  Who’d-a-thunk it!

Jan 26, 2020

SAVE Announced today: “Bandit has left the building (on his humom’s lap 🤣)! He found a family complete with a fur brother named Moose! Happy life ahead!”