A policeman found a seven-year-old Dogo Argentino in an apartment with his deceased owner. They believed that the dog had stayed there for almost a week. The policeman called a rescue organization called Twenty Paws Rescue to take the dog.
The dog named Tyson was terrified. The rescuers managed to take him from the apartment, but he refused to do anything. He preferred to stay inside the crate and not interact with anyone. He even refused to eat when they gave him food.
The rescuers took Tyson to the Vet Emergency Group for a health check. The vet determined that Tyson was underweight, and the x-rays did not show anything that was a cause for concern. They said that he would be able to recover in no time. He was physically well, but his emotional state was uncertain.
The rescuers were hoping that the relatives of Tyson’s owner would come forward and adopt him. The relatives reached out when Tyson’s story was posted on social media, but they would not be able to take him. The rescue organization had to put up Tyson for adoption.
Tyson spent two months in foster care. Laura, his foster mom, did everything she could to earn Tyson’s trust and make him feel loved. Then a woman named Sarah put in an application to adopt him. They scheduled a meeting to see how Tyson would react to her.
As soon as Sarah arrived, Tyson went up to her, and they seemed to get along well. Tyson immediately liked the toy that Sarah gave him. The adoption pushed through, and Sarah took Tyson home.
Adopting a rescue dog meant dealing with a lot of hurdles. During the first few days, Sarah had to work hard at getting Tyson’s trust. He was not very friendly and trusting to strangers. Most of the time, he curled up in his corner, and he’s very watchful of Sarah’s actions.
In time, Tyson felt comfortable enough not to be threatened by Sarah. Then Sarah found out about Tyson’s health issues. He was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and urethral obstruction. His hypothyroidism could be managed with medication, and he had to undergo an invasive procedure for the urethral obstruction.
They were able to overcome the health issues, but then they had to face the final hurdle. Getting Tyson’s trust was a big step, yet getting him to respect Sarah was another story. Tyson should be kind and loving as dictated by the nature of his breed, but something might have happened in his past that made him display untoward behaviors.
Sarah had to make a very difficult decision based on the recommendation of several dog behavior professionals. She opted for behavioral euthanasia because no matter how much love she gave, Tyson was not healing from the wounds of his past. They spent 98 days together, and Sarah cherished every moment of those days.
Source: The Dodo via YouTube
