And then he came home with me, and my world changed forever! It turned out that Mickey was not that meek and mellow dog I initially thought he was. It took about a week before I met the “real Mickey”, and he was CRAZY!! At first, I simply thought he had bad manners. He didn’t even know the “sit” command. He was also scared of everything.

He refused to walk near busy roads, and would simply lie down and not move. He didn’t like anyone except me, and was especially not fond of men and children. He suffered from separation anxiety, and panicked whenever I left the house. I tried to convince myself that it didn’t matter that he ate the couch or the carpet…he just needed love and loyalty, and eventually he would change. I thought time would solve these problems.

Hoping that he just had a lot of energy to burn, I took him to off-leash dog parks. He did well at first, but became more defiant as time passed. It didn’t take long before he began to get aggressive toward people. He would see a man in the distance and run circles around him, barking and growling, while ignoring me completely. I was yelled at and called so many names that it had become increasingly embarrassing to go anywhere with Mickey.

When he nipped at a little boy who was saying hello to me, I was overwhelmed … and Mickey started to wear a muzzle. I tried several methods of training with Mickey and spent a lot of money. We did basic obedience. We went to agility classes because I thought he needed mental stimulation.

I had a trainer come to my house to work one-on-one with us. Little improved and I became more and more discouraged. Then, I got evicted from my apartment because of Mickey’s behaviour. I thought about giving him up, finding a home for him in the country, or even taking him back to the SPCA. Mickey and I were really struggling. I knew that he was not a mean dog and most of his behaviour was fear –based, but I needed help.

Thanks Jeff, for giving me a great dog, and making me a better dog owner.

I will be eternally grateful.

Cynthia