Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Permanent home needed for a very special dog

Trevor is a playful, rambunctious Shepherd-cross who requires ongoing positive guidance, support and training as he learns to respond appropriately to new and anxiety-producing situations.
Trevor gets along well with most other dogs, and he has been well socialized with many dogs of various sizes. He is excitable around cats and would do best in a cat-free home.
Could this be you?
Are you comfortable using positive, gentle training methods and working with large breed dogs?
Do you have a kind heart, plenty of patience, a calm home, and a desire to bring out the best in animals which have had a terrible start in life?
Are you willing to approach your local authority (such as a local Bylaw office, Local Advisory Council, or municipal council) to obtain their consent to have Trevor living with you? (This is a court requirement, if Trevor is to live outside Whitehorse.)
Are you willing and able to take whatever safety precautions the Court and your local authorities require, such as the use of a leash and muzzle whenever you have Trevor out in public?
If you can answer Yes to all of the above, then we need you… Trevor needs you!
Trevor’s special circumstances
Trevor had a rough start in life. He spent his early years on a chain, and his collar was embedded in his neck by the time he was rescued by a Whitehorse Bylaw officer early in 2009. He received veterinary care, then was transferred to the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter (Humane Society Yukon) in Whitehorse, where he lived for a few months before he found an adoptive home. Unfortunately, that adoptive home did not work out. The adoptive owner gave Trevor away to a family member who would not have been able to meet the Humane Society’s adoption requirements. In the summer of 2009, this new caregiver surrendered Trevor to the City Pound after Trevor bit his landlord on the elbow.
Trevor was slated for euthanasia at the City Pound, until a Whitehorse resident obtained a Court injunction and asked that Trevor be returned to Humane Society Yukon. Trevor’s case quickly gained national and international attention, as Trevor became a ‘poster boy’ for compassionate animal care.
The Judge ruled that the Humane Society was indeed Trevor’s legal owner, as the adoptive owner had breached her contract by giving Trevor away. The Judge ordered the City to return Trevor to the Humane Society, and the City and the Humane Society were tasked with finding a qualified assessor to examine Trevor’s behaviour and see if he could be rehabilitated.
Trevor’s assessor, Dr. Shelley Breadner from Saanichton, BC, determined that Trevor would do well in the right home, but he has lifelong anxiety issues that will need to be carefully managed, as he will remain a bite risk if exposed to anxiety-inducing circumstances. Trevor’s main worry seems to be a direct approach by strangers, particularly if they reach for his head. For this reason, Trevor is required to wear a muzzle and be kept on a leash when he is out in public.
Late in 2010, after more than a year of court proceedings, and extensive training and socialization for Trevor, the Humane Society was finally granted full custody of Trevor, and as much time as we need to find him a suitable home. In the meantime, he continues to live at the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, and he spends a good part of each day in the company of the people he has bonded with over the course of this ordeal. Every day, we hope we are a step closer to finding Trevor his forever home.
For more information, please contact Humane Society Yukon via the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, 126 Tlingit Street, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A6J2. (867)633-6019. shelteradmin@northwestel.net.

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