About Bacon

It breaks my heart to write this but we have unfortunately reached a point where we no longer feel that we have an alternative. Our dog has been with us since he was a puppy. He is a wonderful companion for the most part. From the moment the decision was made to bring him into our home the intention was to move to a home with ample outdoor space for him. He has been in our home for 7 years now, and around 2-3 years old he developed some intense reactivity to various triggers. It became a high stress struggle to take him for walks because of his on-leash behavior. Although we had spent a significant portion of our time training him, we realized it was not enough. We sought out professional trainers and joined a 6 week program to help both him and ourselves learn to do better. Leading up to that decision was a series of 'close calls.' When he was off-leash (such as at the dog park) there were never any issues, though he much preferred to play with people than with other dogs. Once he began having guarding aggression with toys or even just random sticks it was clear that the dog park was not a safe environment for him to be in. In our experience it seemed that being with me specifically heightened his sensitivity to triggers (he is overly protective of me). He has always been a massive puller, and we always believed in humane methods of training and nurture, but after he pulled so violently to get to another dog that was walking that the leash was ripped from my hands, and on another occasion where the ring on his harness detached due to the constant tension, it was clear that there was a lot of risk present that needed to be addressed. By the recommendation of our trainer we began using a prong collar, which is the only thing that stopped him from pulling. We followed all of the training and used it exclusively as a tool to teach him not to pull, but the moment the trainer gave us the go-ahead to walk without it, the pulling was just as bad as prior to using it. At one point he lunged at my 8 year old niece, which is the first time I recognized I may not be capable of handling him, which could result in serious injury to him or others. I have been so adamant that he just needs more training, more love, more comfort, but things have only gotten worse. A short time ago he again ripped the leash from my hands, only this time it was in response to a muzzled pit bull that I had not seen approach us. I was hurt from the sudden and violent pull, and even though I got hold of him seconds later, it was not quick enough. The other dog is perfectly fine, but that is not the point. I will not take him out without a muzzle now, and an anti-pull (Halti) strap around his face, and a two sided leash which attaches to a strap around my waist. It is a depressing and extremely high stress experience to take him out on a leash, and unfortunately I do not have the means to purchase a yard to prevent such measures. I am also dealing with physical health issues which are unfortunately exacerbated by the pulling. This all paints him as some aggressive unlovable monster, but in the home he is incredibly sweet, well behaved, playful and loving. At this point we have to face the reality that we cannot give him a happy life, and that we are not capable of protecting him, or the cats/dogs/children of our community from him. That said we cannot fathom surrendering him to live in a cage surrounded by triggers for the rest of his life, or abandoning him, or any of the other possibilities. So I am desperately working to find him a forever home that can meet his needs. He needs a home with enclosed outdoor space that removes the need for leash walks. He needs a home with patient and loving humans, without other pets or small children in the home. He will happily snuggle with you all day on the couch. With free access to the outdoors he is delighted to entertain himself with a ball or stick, or lay out in the sun for hours. He loves to play hide and seek. He knows many commands including come, sit, stay, search (for hide and seek), lay down, up, down, eat. These commands are all in Italian. His recall is not always instant, and is unreliable with triggers present. He does not dig, he is fully house trained.

Assemini, Cagliari Italy