A shelter dog dismissed by visitors as being too “reactive” has been given an opportunity to showcase his true self.
Shelter dogs have a small window of time in which to make an impression on a visitor. A 2014 study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science estimates shelter visitors interact with just one dog per visit and that those interactions last for an average of just eight minutes.
That’s rarely enough time to get a clear idea of a dog’s personality and suitability to a home. The glimpse it does provide can often be an inaccurate one, with the stress and strain of shelter life often influencing how a dog behaves in those encounters.
Juke, a shelter dog currently in the care of Different Breed Solutions (DBS) Rescue in Texas, is a prime example of this. Juke was picked up as a stray in late January.
Tessa Parker from DBS Rescue told Newsweek: “Given how thick and healthy he was, it is presumed he was dumped very shortly beforehand. The fact he understood easy commands like sit and down added to that presumption.”
TikTok/dbsrescue
That all might have helped Juke get adopted but staff at the rescue have encountered a problem. Parker said: “All of the potential adopters that see him in the kennel, even ones that come to see him directly, pass due to what comes across as reactive tendencies: barking, pacing, jumping from wall-to-wall and back to floor, on a loop as if it was a roller coaster.”
Parker doesn’t blame Juke for behaving the way he does in the kennels. “Think about it, would YOU be okay sitting in a 4 by 6 beige cell without anything to distract you, no phone, TV, no music, no gym?” she said.
“All Juke, and the other shelter dogs, have to pass time in the kennel is to listen to the other stressed out, anxious, scared or barking and scents of other dogs you can’t see, aside from when they are walked by humans sometimes to never be seen again.”
Though his kennel behavior has been a “huge deterrent” Parker has seen the other side of Juke, the real one, that comes out the minute he is given the freedom every dog craves.
A video posted to the DBS Rescue TikTok page last week, which amassed hundreds of views, provides a perfect snap shot of this contrast. The footage cuts from a hyped-up Juke in the kennel to the calmer, more relaxed canine when he is let out. “He is so different outside of the kennel, calm and sweet, easy to handle on the leash and playful in the yard,” Parker said.
Parker and the other staff at the shelter make a special effort to give Juke this outside time to decompress and enjoy the world around him. “Outside of the kennel Juke can stretch, see different views, smell fresh air, feel the breeze and get away from the constant stresses of the shelter,” Parker said. “Routinely when I spend time with Juke after about 5 minutes of walking he loves laying on the grass and getting belly rubs.”
Parker knows the tag of “reactive” can be one that is difficult for some dogs to shake off in the shelter, but she has seen, first-hand, how it is possible. “Three of the six dogs we’ve adopted were labeled reactive or needing to be the only dog in the home, all of them have adjusted to pack life without incidents,” she said.
Though time, training and patience will all be prerequisites for anyone wanting to adopt a dog like Juke, Parker is confident that the right person is out there somewhere for this struggling shelter pup.
“I know if someone active and patient met with Juke outside of the kennel, they would fall in love with how sweet, cute and trainable he is,” she said.
“Juke would thrive in a home with a family that is active or wanting a good reason to get and stay active. The home should have a high fenced in yard for his agility skills, and YES he has been shown as dog friendly! He loves playgroup and will show off his herding roots if given the opportunity.”
Anyone who thinks they might fit that criteria is encouraged to get in touch.