Animal Education & Rescue

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More about Chase

Chase was found running loose in Waukegan. Lucky for him our humane investigators spotted him. They managed to grab him and found his owners. His owners said he was too much trouble and relinquished him. Happy Holidays Chase! Poor baby is scared and lonely. He is matted to the skin and filthy. We think he may be around 2 yrs old.

UPDATE: 12/27/2009
Chase has finally started learning to trust his foster mom. While before he used to huddle in the corner shaking and be very protective of himself, he now gets excited every time he sees his foster mom. He bounces around and likes to jump up (like he has a trampoline) to get pets. He even whines a little in her absence. He is turning into a very loving dog, but he thinks he would prefer not to live with kids... too many quick movements for his taste. He has started showing interest in toys and seems to like other dogs and as you can see from his video he LOVES snow!

UPDATE: 1/14/2010 (from Chase's foster home)
Every day Chase gets happier and more adjusted to a nice life inside. He has been great with my two dogs and like to try and get my Collie to chase him around the yard. He loves to show off how fast he can run! Chase is a very special boy so I wanted to give a little more background on him....

We originally spotted him running loose while patrolling some rough areas in Lake County. We chased him for blocks until he made his way back home. After speaking with the owners we discovered that being loose was a regular occurrence. The family had gotten him for their 9 year old son just a year ago and the boy was his sole caretaker. Everyone else in the home did not help and did not even like him. Chase was kept in a bathroom when inside and when outside they put him in a small chicken-wire pen where he could easily squeeze out through holes in the fence so he ran loose in the neighborhood often. They claimed he had never shown any aggression towards anyone although it was obvious he wasn't a very well-liked member of the household (except by the boy). Since the boy was obviously not qualified to take full responsibility in a dog and was loosing interest in him, they decided they didn't want to deal with him anymore so gave him up.

For the first few days I made sure to do everything in super slow motion so as not to startle him, but I'm happy to report that by day 3 he was acting like a perfectly content and happy-go-lucky poodle. He has gotten very attached me me and loves to jump around me, sit at my feet getting petting, or climb up on my lap and lick my face. He loves to play and will get so excited when I shake a toy at him and start jumping around to get him to play (all things that would have terrified him before). He has made remarkable progress!

He was not happy when I had to groom him and so he had to be muzzled, but he was really petrified and was lashing out at the clippers (not me). However, you will need to take some precautions when putting him in situations that are "scary." He will also need additional work on meeting strangers in positive situations and having them go slow with him at first so they can gain his trust. Once he does he is a very happy-go-lucky little boy.

Being given up by the only family he ever knew is a devastating thing to happen to any dog and they all handle it in different ways. Some dogs get effected very deeply and become depressed, totally shut down and try and hide, or sometimes even feel like they need to protect themselves against the "big bad world." Especially since he hadn't had a lot of positive or loving contact with people (even his own family) it is not all that surprising he felt like he could only depend on himself to survive. I am hopeful that experiencing real love, affection and positive contact will go along way in reforming his view of the world. It has already done wonders and I am so proud of him.

Despite the hurdles he still needs to overcome, I absolutely adore Chase. He is a sweet, perky, goofy boy and makes a great little buddy. I am certain that he will make a wonderful addition to the right home that is willing to accept that he may come with a little baggage, but it is well worth it in the amount of joy he brings to the people he loves.