Baloo (aka Rocky)

Most recent pictures and info about Baloo can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/share/Lq6AUuzodpUyj66W/? May 10, 2024 - long story short: Baloo is available for adoption. Though he is currently fostered in a home with a young child, he will not be adopted to a home with young children. He has anxiety and a very loud bark - a detached home is required; apartments, suites, townhomes, etc will be too difficult with shared walls & neighbours. His bite history is from 2018; he punctured the skin on the arm of owners that treated him in an abusive manner. He has NO bite history since then. He can be mouthy but also growls and communicates well when uncomfortable. Precautions should be taken around children, groomers, veterinarians etc. - for this reason he needs an owner that understands the importance of MANAGING a dog for the safety of all involved (dog included). The things Baloo doesn’t like are justified. He is a GOOD dog, not an aggressive dog. Examples: he likes being trimmed with a quiet razor, but not being brushed and having the pulling on his fur (groomer); he loves strangers but not if they try to inspect him in a stressful environment (vet); he loves kids petting him at the park, but not unpredictable toddlers that can fall or pull on him while learning to walk (young children). Currently, Baloo is not medicated and is doing well. ********************** Are you still interested? GREAT! Baloo was adopted late 2019. He was returned May 2024. Baloo had a great life in his previous adoptive home. However, over the years things changed - his best friend senior dog passed away, the family had 3 children under 3 years old, and they were living in a small home where they could not provide the relaxing environment they knew Baloo deserved. This family did right by Baloo while owning him, and continued to do right by him by removing him from a situation they could not manage. ********************** Ready for the whole story? Baloo was taken into our rescue in September 2018. That is when the below bio was written. It has not been changed as we believe it’s important to understand his history, even though it does not define him. Baloo - the most lovely crazy-pants dog you’ll ever know. Baloo DOES have a “bite” history and cannot go to a home with children under 16 years Baloo is NOT an “aggressive” dog… Meet Baloo the Samoyed. This poor boy has had a really unlucky start in life. We are told he was from a breeder in Ontario, but he has no microchip or tattoo to trace back to one - which also hints it may be a BYB/puppy mill he is from. He was bought by an idiot, who sold him on Kijiji at 1.5 yrs old. We know this owner was an idiot, because he was also selling mixed breed kittens for $400. The family that bought Baloo off kijiji loved him at first sight and had him neutered etc. However - like many pets for sale, the owner didn’t tell the whole truth, the family soon realized Baloos energy level, and behavioural issues came up. Baloo started being pretty incessant with nipping/mouthing (which is not uncommon for a young high energy male dog of this breed) and unfortunately the advice the adult human male had for how to deal with this behaviour was horrible. Baloo was handled roughly when he was behaving poorly (think “alpha” style training), which lead his behaviour to escalate to full-on defensive bites. The family grew too fearful to handle Baloo, and was told to euthanize by SPCA when they tried to surrender him due to his history and behaviour... soooo.... welcome Baloo to Carried Through Rescue! Baloo came into rescue with me Sept 2018. He was a psycho, with no patience and insane energy. He wasn’t crate trained, he was obstinate, and loved throwing tantrums. However he was also smart, and knew tricks (though he just did them for his perceived benefits), and LOVED petting and cuddles. He was NOT afraid to use his mouth to try scare you and get his way - but he had GREAT Bite inhibition and only ever bruised me, he didn’t break skin. He was a young, mishandled, brat who deserved a better chance than he’d had. Baloo was heavily medicated on gabapentin and trazadone, so we spent September weaning him off those meds and working on some basic respect and manners. In October I was away for 2 weeks, so he went to an active foster home with balanced discipline/rules. While he did good, he was still a handful. From the foster home, we had an adoptive home that was a friend of theirs interested. They had a super active large dog and acreage, and while rules and boundaries were not a priority for them, we thought maybe day after day of exercise and play could help Baloo and decided to try it. This home tried Baloo from mid-October to mid-November, but unfortunately Baloo was too insane around their cat (while he never caught the cat we are worried Baloo would injure or kill a cat) and without enough rules and boundaries Baloo's energy was soon overwhelming for the other young large energetic dog, and the family, in tears about not being able to make it work, returned him. For December, January and February Baloo was back with me, seeing if some consistency could calm him down, but even doing the same routine daily for 90 days, he still couldn’t do it calmly - it’s a little like he had rocket juice for breakfast. Everything had to be done top speed. Though he loved attention FROM me, he was not interested in a true relationship WITH me. For March and April we started him on Prozac. I would say BEFORE the Prozac his energy was an unbearable 12/10. Now, on the Prozac, he is an almost unbearable 10/10. But it has helped. Baloos forever home will need a good sense of humour, and patience ?? So, here we are in May, with Baloo now looking for an adoptive home. Prozac takes a minimum 3 months to really kick in, so we are hoping he will continue to show small improvements. An adoptive home SHOULD be ok with keeping Baloo on Prozac for 2-3 months until an adoption is finalized - then they may choose to discontinue its use. If a family chooses to continue it after adoption, it’s only $30 a month. Baloo is house trained and typically non destructive in the home, he knows his toys and chooses them over shoes etc etc. Baloo loves affection. He will snuggle right into you. He will paw you to pay attention to him. But you can’t let him get too excited, or you will end up with scratches by your eyes, or on your chest, when he tries to jump up for attention. Baloo does AMAZING with all other dogs large and small. He has shown no food aggression, and has submitted anytime challenged by another dog. However, again, it’s his energy level - he can very very easily injure a small dog or frail senior dog by smashing into them while playing, running through the house, etc. Baloo is a giant klutz in the house who runs, not walks, everywhere. Therefore he needs a house with an open layout, he would be maddening in an apartment or a home with lots of decorations etc. Aside from the energy, Baloo's only really negative issue is reactivity around his collar/being restrained. Since being in rescue, we have worked very hard to desensitize him, and he has NOT broken skin with any bites. However all his handlers have been experienced, and he has had stubborn moments and given us warning mouthing, some bruising etc - but his inhibition is really amazing. This attitude only comes out when Baloo has to do something he doesn’t want to - like: guiding him away from an over exciting situation, restraining him for a bath, etc. Baloo is crate trained, though he does occasionally use a very high pitched bark to show annoyance if he thinks he shouldn’t be crated at that moment. Everyone that’s met Baloo, including a few potential homes that didn’t move forward, have all been smitten with him upon meeting. He really is a sweet boy, with a good heart, who’s been failed by humans and needs a committed home where he can settle and improve steadily and patiently over a year. He will not be particularly easy, but he will be worth it. So - what is the idea home for Baloo? A fit and healthy, adult-only, spacious home with someone who has the strength to walk him, and a secure yard. No children under 16, not because of aggression but because we don’t want anyone knocked over and hurt in his excitement. For the same reason, no little dogs. No cats. Other fit and active dogs over 40 lbs could be a good friend for Baloo. His home will have to be able to exercise him, but also realize exercise won’t tire him, so they need to be open to things that stimulate his brain as well, like trick training. Lastly, a home needs to understand that it’s not cruel to crate Baloo and create rules and boundaries for him - it allows him to relax, and gives everyone around him a break. See more Baloo pics and videos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carriecorbettandblaize/albums/10161626553975521/?ref=bookmarks