SHERLOCK HAS A BITE HISTORY

UPDATE MAY 23, 2010

Sherlock had an MRI done on his complete spine. Here are the findings from the neurologist:
Multiple mild disc protrusions – from T12–13 to L7-S1 (the lower lumber spine).
Malformation of the upper back including kyphosis and scoliosis.

The disc protrusions are all small and do not warrant surgery. Although Sherlock is prone to future disc issues, there has been a significant improvement to his back health. This has been due to:

Limiting the amount of walking he does – using the stroller to take him to the park.
No jumping up or down on high places
Joint Supplement
Yoga and Massage Therapy

The house training is not due to any problems with the spine. Rather it is related to Sherlock’s separation anxiety. Sherlock’s adopters will need to continue work on his sensitivity, leaving him for short periods of time so he comes to feel relaxed and comfortable in the absence of his human companions.

Sherlock did meet the gentleman in the park that he had bitten. The man did not realize it was Sherlock as he petted his head. Sherlock did not give any signs of fear or aggression. He accepted the head petting very well. I believe that biting incident was an isolated incident due to being in a new situation. In the 4 months now that I’ve had him he has not displayed any fear aggression toward humans.

*****

The dog you see here is unique. He has a sad history and a future that holds challenges, both physical and behavioral. Not a dog for a regular good-hearted Frenchie lover. No. This dog needs a special person with great dog handling skill, empathy, and time to spend on a worthy project. That project is a loving, misunderstood, and battlescarred little dog named Sherlock. He’s a charming and loving boy, in fact, his foster dad, who has fostered dozens of dogs says he Is one of the most loving and appealing dogs he’s ever known! But he is a dog who needs special care and a rare family.

Sherlock is eight years old and lived for almost all of them as a prisoner in a puppy mill. He will never fully recover from that experience but he deserves, perhaps more than any other sort of dog, a loving home in which to live out his life. Someone to pay him back for his years of service and neglect. Someone to love him for who he is.

The physical challenges Sherlock faces include IVD (intervertebral disk disease) and disk degeneration. He has not had an MRI, so we don’t have the knowledge of the extent of the degeneration, however, in January in his newly adopted home he suffered inflammation of his thoracic invertebra, putting pressure on the spinal nerve and causing a temporary paralysis of the hind legs. Steroids reduced the inflammation and the paralysis cleared up after about 3 hours. He was returned to FBRN. He spent the last half of January on crate rest and in February and March did limited walking. He enjoyed going on longer treks to the park in his stroller with his foster dad. He has had no re-occurrences of paralysis.

Sherlock’s neurologist has given Sherlock the following likely prognoses based on 2 visits over a period of 2 months:
1. He will always have an abnormal gait but it does not impede his ability to walk.
2. He may have a reoccurrence of the temporary paralysis. Limiting the amount of walking/exercise will help to prevent this from happening
3. He may not ever be fully house trained due to the nerve damage.
4. He cannot jump up or down off of high places like beds, couches and chairs. His forever home should have a minimum number of steps going to the backyard or a ramp be made to allow Sherlock to easily get to the ground.

Sherlock is a loving dog who is submissive with humans and likes kids, but because of his bite history we will not place him in a home with minors. He does not like to have his jowls or ears rubbed. He has had two bite incidents in foster care.

Here is the detail of Sherlock’s bite history.
First bite:
While in his second foster home, his foster mom was holding him. Her mother leaned into her to give foster mom a kiss and as she did so she also leaned over to rub Sherlock’s ears and give him a kiss. As she got close to his face he bit her face leaving 2 marks. History here is that when the mom first came to visit Sherlock did made a low warning growl but the foster mom was unsure of the meaning.

However, during his vet examination during this same period, Sherlock received a complete eye examination and drops were administered. Sherlock did not show any sign of aggression, quietly allowing the vet to do the exam. The foster mom believes that because she was holding Sherlock, he protective instinct and/or resource guarding came forward and resulted in the bite.

Second bite:
In the first month in his current foster dad’s care, the pair of them were in the park when he bit a man’s hand and drew blood. His foster dad was sitting on the grass and Sherlock was sitting in front of him. The man, who is an experienced dog owner (3 Jack Russell dogs) approached and started to use his thumbs to clear out Sherlock’s jowls, under his eyes. Sherlock growled a barely audible warning and then bit the man’s hand. The man felt he had been stupid to probe a strange dog’s face in that manner. But in any case, it was a bite and that is a serious thing.

Sherlock does give warning when something is bothering him and his foster dad has learned to heed that warning and remove him from the situations without further incident. Sherlock has met many, many people since the day of the bite in the park. The people in the park are all trained to listen to Sherlock if he is visiting them for a pat. Obviously, there is great responsibility required.

Sherlock ignores cats and dislikes large dogs and growls a warning when faced with them. He is dominant when meeting other dogs. His stance is very much on guard and most dogs he meets will pick up on the dominance and back off. He tends to resource guard and will growl at other dogs if he is beside you. However he has settled in with the three small, male dogs in his foster home . He does not initiate play. There was one Frenchie in his first foster home he loved. He still sees that dog on occasion and he still responds with affection and playfulness.

Sherlock is very laid back and easy going. He much prefers his naps and snuggling close to you to any other activity, and he only needs a limited amount of exercise. He never learned to play with toys. During his house training, he has responded well to the treat training/positive reinforcement. When he has peed outdoors he immediately comes over and with the proud, “I did it” look. He then gets a treat. Even if his foster dad didn’t see him go he knows because of the way Sherlock comes over quickly and looks at him so proudly. Continued training in this manner will reinforce and develop the wanted behavior. However he should not be considered housebroken.

Most of the time his accidents are a result of separation anxiety. He will go for a 40-minute walk (with the stroller) and urinate several times. Once back home, if his foster dad leaves him to go to the store for 5 minutes, Sherlock will pee on the kitchen floor. The neurologist thinks that nerve damage could also have some relation to his urination issues. Sherlock can stay quietly in a crate but not for long periods. Due to his long history of being crated at the puppy mill he will urinate or defecate in the crate.

Sherlock needs a home where someone is home all day or who can take him to an office where he has a dog bed. He cannot do stairs so he needs a one story home or an apartment with an elevator. He would be ideal dog for a retired person/couple – someone who wants lots of canine love and companionship, not too much exercise, and willing to work on his house training. They should have experience with difficult dogs and prepared to spend a fair amount of time working with Sherlock.

Some words from Sherlock’s devoted foster dad:
“Sherlock is one of the most lovable dogs I’ve ever fostered. I think he did not have much human affection or contact during his years in the mill. As a result, he responds to human kindness ten fold. While in his stroller, we are constantly being stopped by people. Sherlock has come into contact with hundreds of people because of this. He will always bring his muzzle into their hand for a sniff and then a head pet.”

Sherlock is a complicated and loving boy who carries a host of burdens. He deserves a wonderful home. If you are as special as he is, consider filling out an application and then think about a trip to Canada. Sherlock is in Southern Ontario and he will not be shipped.

Apply for me here!