Frankie

FRANKIE THE FIERCE I’m Frankie the Fierce. I ended up in the slammer for biting my family. I was almost out of time and about to get the needle, but I’m cute and there’s a sucker born every minute. Sure enough, my Foster Mom saw my picture and how cute I was. Since I only weighed 10lbs she thought I really couldn’t be so bad, but did I fool her! I love meeting new dogs and there were plenty of foster siblings to play with at my new home. It wasn’t long before I had them trained to understand that the bed for the 75lb dog belonged to me and I don’t share space. Foster Mom gave me cute little toys perfect for my size, but how can someone with my tough guy reputation play with a stuffed lamb? I collected up the big dog toys even if I had to work a while to drag them across the room to my super sized bed! It took much longer to train Foster Mom! I don’t want to be picked up, get a haircut or bath, and I certainly don’t want anyone reaching for my face. I have to be firm with Foster Mom and sometimes snap and bite if she breaks those rules. When Foster Mom follows the rules we have a peaceful coexistence. I love to go outside and go for walks, so it’s ok to reach for me with a leash. No one likes car rides as much as me, so I allow Foster Mom to pick me up and put me in my car seat so I can see out the window. Foster Mom knows now that if I want to be pet, I will sit facing away from her and she can lightly stroke my back. If Foster Mom has been really good, I will sit beside her at night to watch TV, but she knows not to touch me. When it’s dinner time, I love all over Foster Mom so that she gives me my favorite meal. Yes, that’s manipulative, but a fierce dog does what he has to do! My name of Frankie the Fierce doesn’t just come from how I handle interpersonal relationships; I am a brave guard dog! When delivery trucks stop at our house, I bark so fiercely from the window that they get gone fast! And one night a tree fell in our backyard. My foster siblings scooted under furniture and hid in closets. Not me! I ran straight to the back door, barking and growling! Foster Mom and I went out to see what happened and I circled that tree with my most intimidating act! And you know what? That tree was so afraid of me that it never moved again! Since I am a foster, there may be other siblings and humans in my future to train. It’s much easier for me if I find a human who understands I have boundaries. My best match is a human who can recognize and understand my body language and vocal warnings and give me space. A human who is determined to force their will on me will only cause me stress and anger. If you think you can coexist in peace, put in an application for me at safeanimalhaven.org. ??