Haydie

Haydie (formerly "Hayden") first came to us as a foster pup through MJ's Animal Sanctuary. He was surrendered by his original owners to the notorious Robeson County Animal Shelter in North Carolina, and was luckily spared euthanasia by "heartstick" when MJ's rescued him. The day that we took him in, he was being returned from a previous adoptive home due to separation anxiety issues. An issue that we quickly understood when we learned that prior to meeting us, he had been surrendered by his family, held in 4 foster homes, and returned by an adoptive family all in the past 6 months! Anyone would be concerned that people were going to mysteriously disappear and not come back for them if they experienced that. Well, we were quite sure that with time, effort, compassion, love, and a permanent home, he would learn to trust that his people would return and could become more secure.

The night that we picked Haydie up, he was mellow, silent, and submissive. At only three years old, he acted more like an elderly dog than one that was just out of puppyhood. Luckily, this "chill" attitude helped him to quickly fit into our family, since he projected a good energy that fit somewhere in between our 3-year-old (very puppy-like) boy and 7-year-old (very lazy) girl. All of the pups sniffed each other curiously and gently proceeded on the traditional introduction pack walk before going into the house. By the next day, they were all lounging around in the office and the dogs let Hayden up on the bed - a sign that he had been fully initiated. Although he was very easy to deal with, Haydie hardly seemed like the exuberant pup he should be at such a young age. In fact, the entire first week that we had him, he never made a sound other than small high-pitch whines while he paced back and forth, staring out the various windows. We thought for a while that perhaps he couldn't bark, or may have been scared into not barking through an electric collar or similar device. Slowly, Haydie began to show more of himself - that inner pup too scared to come out and play - first, through excitement about taking walks, then newfound interest in a toy, then by excitement over treats, and by week two, he let out his first little barks that both startled and delighted us. Each new 'real dog' behavior that Haydie exhibited was met with our entire household rejoicing - including the dogs - laughter, smiles, pets, licks, and the ever-so-cute doggie "happy dance" that resembles a tap dance routine. Haydie was quick to show us new versions of self-expression and by week 3 he was running, playing, lounging, and howling with excitement to say "let's go for a walk" or "good morning, it's time to eat". As it turns out, he's quite a comical little fella!

Life for Haydie was finally getting good. Now that he had become more self-assured, we were ready to start working on crate training & separation anxiety & some toy possession issues. However, in the midst of our enthusiasm, we found out that Hayden was heartworm positive. We were scared and dismayed - heartworm treatment is long, tedious, and for a dog with separation anxiety, incredibly difficult (for all of us). Once we considered all that Hayden had been through and the heartworm treatment lying ahead, as well as the fact that we were absolutely in love with him (us and our furry kids), we decided that Haydie should have a permanent home with us!

Haydie is an incredible boy and we could not be happier to have him in our family. We are happy to report that heartworm treatment is complete and he is very healthy. He has also overcome his separation anxiety issues and now plays and shares toys with his brother without any possession issues whatsoever. We are so proud of him and feel truly lucky that he is a permanent member of our pack!