About 'LIL BEAR'

A SECOND CHOW CODE RED IN PHOENIX, AZ- 8/11 DEADLINE!- ID #A5169232 -'LIL BEAR'- ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE, CHOW BOY AT MARICOPA COUNTY ANIMAL CARE, WEST LOCATION- RESCUE ONLY (NHO) - NEEDS FOSTER AS RESCUES CANNOT HELP WITHOUT A FOSTER & PLACE FOR DOG TO GO! Owner could no longer care for him, said was good w/ small children, small dog, potty trained. please see detailed notes & sweet video on FB post. RESCUE ONLY for basically being a chow! NOW ON DEADLINE FOR 8/11 TO COMMIT OR 'May be at risk for euthanasia 8/12/26 or sooner if warranted' per shelter. THUS, HE WILL LIKELY BE EUTHANIZED 8/12 in AM. HE IS 'RESCUE ONLY' BY A 'NEW HOPE PARTNER ONLY' which means he can NOT be adopted from the shelter directly, & a New Hope partner must pull him out. Emergency/soon to be euthanized! We are in urgent need of a dedicated foster, ideally familiar w/ chows or similar Asian or spitz breeds. 'LIL BEAR' is a an adorable chow boy weighing 62 lbs & said to be 4 years young. He lived w/ a family for the past 3 years who sadly surrendered him to the shelter after they could no longer care for him. However, they said many great things about him such as: 'HE ALLOWS THE SMALL CHILD TO PET HIM. OWNER STATES THAT HE HAS NEVER SHOWN ANY AGGRESSION AROUND THE CHILD. OWNER HAS ANOTHER SMALL DOG - CHI DOG. OWNER STATES THAT THIS DOG WAS PLAYFUL W/ THE SMALL DOG & SHOWED NO SIGNS OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARDS THE OTHER DOG. OWNER STATES THAT HE IS A GOOD DOG & THAT SHE FEELS HE WOULD DO GOOD IN A HOME W/ A FAMILY & HE WOULD ALSO DO WELL AROUND SMALL CHILDREN. OWNER STATES THAT HE HAS HAD SOME TRAINING TO HELP W/ HIM NOT BEING SO AGGRESSIVE.' The owner also mentioned he lived indoor & outdoor, was potty trained, and that he loves to run around in a yard. He has no reported bites. Like many chows, he came in a bit nervous in the shelter. However, shelter notes from 8/1/2026 state, 'Dog was closed outside for cleaning, curled up at front of kennel. Stood slowly, tail raised to flagged position when coaxed by handler. Handler continued to speak softly, dog appeared to settle, tail up but no longer flagged. No interest in treats. Handler opened gate, called dog by name, dog wagged tail, approached cautiously, backed away from leash. Handler attempted to lasso leash, dog retreated back. Dog would have moments of softening, wagging tail, but tensed when leash was presented. Briefly flashed teeth, then settled. Handler opened gate wider, called dog, dog approached, handler was able to secure leash with large loop. Dog exited, walked with light pull, no reaction to neighbors. No issues directing to play yard. Dog explored on own, relieved self, kept distance from handler. Handler tried calling dog, clapping hands, but dog would not look up at handler, continued to sniff around yard. Handler sat on bench, waited a few minutes, tried calling dog again. Dog had no response, only looked up if handler moved closer. Handler walked around yard, parallel to dog at a short distance. Dog continued sniffing, occasionally looked up and side-eyed handler, then continued. Handler tried getting closer to retrieve leash, dog would quicken pace & avoid handler. Handler was able to retrieve leash while dog was distracted, sniffing. Walked dog to gate. Dog tolerated light petting on back, skin-crawled. Allowed handler to place clip lead. No issues on return. Dog wagged tail, calmly sniffed a few non-reactive dogs in kennels. Entered own kennel with light guidance. Leash removed via clip lead as precaution.' Medical notes indicate owner reported an eye infection in one eye left untreated, & that he may have mild lower lid entropion that could be addressed by a rescue. Exam notes show he was calm and tolerant of exam/handling. Despite positive owner notes & okay shelter notes, Lil Bear was made Rescue Only for basically acting like most friendly chows would in a scary shelter environment. However, he can be seen sweet and calm in video we have, approaching the fence to greet a stranger. Additional behavior & medical details for Lil Bear on this link: https://apps.pets.maricopa.gov/pri.../Details/OTMw-NDYx-NzZB. Per shelter: 'Placement with a New Hope Partner is needed by close of business 8/11/26 to facilitate further behavioral evaluation & support. May be at risk for euthanasia 8/12/26 or sooner if warranted.' We are urgently looking for ideally a foster or foster to adopt for Lil Bear. This shelter has also killed many chows who were also shy & young adults. If you are interested in fostering, fostering to adopt, or helping in some other way (ie. pledging for his rescue), please email: [email protected] asap at Southern California Chow Chow Rescue Network who is trying to find placement asap, AND also fill out a foster application on https://dogfoster.org/ so we can work on pairing a foster to rescue group to help. Rescue groups contact the shelter directly at [email protected] and by calling 602-506-7387

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MARICOPA COUNTY ANIMAL CARE, WEST LOCATION
Maricopa County
Phoenix, Arizona

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