About Louie

First the short answers - Louie is healthy, has no medical issues, and is fully vetted. He was guessed to be about 2 years old when he came to us in October of 2023. He weighs 13 pounds. He CAN get along with other dogs IF they're older, larger, and have an 'indifferent-to-other-dogs' personality type. He'll chase a cat but only because it's fun and they run - he doesn't hurt them. Because of his history, we will not place him in a home with kids. He's pretty high energy when excited but loves to sit in a lap and be petted and brushed. Here's what we need for an adopter; We're looking for a patient & loving homeowner with a fenced yard. Louie won't do well on leash walks in public or a dog park but he loves to run and play outside for short periods and potty breaks. He'd do best in a quiet environment without a lot of company in & out. NO kids. An older larger dog or a cat might be okay but we prefer he be an only pet. Louie loves lap time. His new mom or dad must be 'small-dog-savvy,' and able to recognize if Louie is fearful of something. He does have a bite history but it's all been fear based. His adopter will also have to have the ability to regulate his anxiety medications that are prescribed on an AS NEEDED basis. It's our belief and hope that once he's in a stable, loving, forever home with a parent who loves him, he won't need these medications anymore. If we haven't lost you yet, his history is as follows; Louie was trapped after having been found living feral for many months. He'd been severely abused and thrown out to fend for himself in the woods. He ended up in a kill shelter and was scheduled to be put down because they couldn't handle him. It took us 3-months to be able to pick him up without the use of bite gloves. We had to leave a thin leash attached to his collar for 5 months because we were unable to touch his neck/throat. A slip lead traumatized him further so we just left a thin leash hooked that would enable us to pick up the end of the lead to take him in and out to potty. After months of desensitizing him to touch by showing him affection and petting him as tolerated, he gradually warmed up to us and can now be handled fully by his caretakers. We can take collars and leashes on & off now, he's pretty good about baths in the tub but won't hold still enough to let us trim his hair. He does freak out at halters around him so we stick with a regular collar. Louie used to resource guard everything but has learned how to play with toys and even play bites with no aggression but I wouldn't try to take a treat out of his mouth. The few times we've needed him to drop something he was trying to eat, picking him up and tricking him by offering to trade for another high-value treat worked well. Louie used to try to attack every new person or animal he met. He's since learned that new people aren't here to hurt him and will let a stranger pet him or even crawl into their laps after a proper introduction. We've even successfully introduced him to several other dogs and had him coexist peacefully with close supervision. Having arrived feral, Louie has had a hard time learning not to potty indoors but he is doing very well in that area lately. As long as we're supervising him and taking him out and regular intervals, like after feeding, after waking, after play, he doesn't make messes. He'll shred a disposable potty pad but the fabric washable ones serve him well. A potential adopter doesn't need to worry about being 'stuck' if it doesn't work out. We are willing to do a foster-to-adopt if we find the right person and adopters are required to return our babies to us in the event they can't keep them. Angels Retreat is more about building relationships and finding forever homes than moving high numbers of animals through our facility. We do allow long distance adoptions and even offer lodging for travelers who want to take a day or two to get acquainted with their new family member before a long drive home. More photos and videos of Louie can be found on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AngelsRetreatRescue If you are the miracle person our little Louie needs, PLEASE fill out our easy online application here: https://form.jotform.com/80595190554159 Thanks for taking the time to consider our little guy.

Contact

Angels Retreat Rescue
Clay County
Hayesville, North Carolina 28904

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