A shelter dog who was once branded “unadoptable” has undergone the most remarkable transformation in the years since.
Certified dog trainer, Morgan Vanderwoude, works primarily with dogs in no-kill shelters who have been there for years and often have behavior problems
“That can range from resource guarding and human aggression to dog aggression and reactivity,” Vanderwoude told Newsweek.
Stone is enjoying life with his new owner.
TikTok/Rightway.Rover
Long-term shelter dogs often exhibit a similar set of characteristics. In 2021, a study published in the journal Animals saw researchers examine the records of a cohort of long-term shelter dogs who had been there for a year or more to try and identify trends.
They found these dogs were often male, older and considered a “dangerous breed.” They also rated higher on “aggression” and “high arousal” and lower on the personality dimension “amicability”.
And Stone the dog fit firmly in almost all of those brackets. Vanderwoude previously worked at Satchel’s Last Resort in Florida, where Stone was based, for a year before becoming a certified dog trainer so was aware of his situation.
“He was known as the ‘neurotic’ dog and some volunteers believed it would be impossible to train him, as they spent years just trying to put a leash on him,” Vanderwoude said.
“He had bitten people previously,” she said. “He was originally surrendered due to ‘random aggression’ and became a sanctuary dog, meaning they are not allowed to be adopted and would be at the shelter until he passed away.”
By the time Vanderwoude came into contact with Stone again he had been at the shelter for over 2,000 days. She was determined to change that and show that beneath all of the trauma, there was a dog capable of enjoying a life outside of the shelter.
“I watched multiple trainers pass him up for easier dogs, so the moment I was able to take him, I did,” she said. “I wasn’t comfortable handling him by myself, so I reached out to Corey Archer at Highland Canine to help me with him.”
Stone was sedated before traveling nine hours to Alabama, where his intensive, and often extremely challenging, training began. “We worked with Stone everyday, multiple times a day,” Vanderwoude said. “He was so determined to bite at the leashes and us that he broke 2 metal poles, 1 wooden shovel handle, chewed through 4 or 5 leashes and a muzzle.”
Stone lost or broke 5 teeth during this time, often exhausting himself to the point of throwing up. It took a little over a month of working with him everyday, multiple times a day to finally get him to a point where I felt comfortable enough handling him by myself,” Vanderwoude said.
At that point she drove back to Florida with Stone, where their training continued. Vanderwoude fostered Stone for 7 months during that time. It wasn’t easy, especially when Stone was diagnosed with having a cancerous tumor on his chest.
But he beat that and, in time, the real Stone emerged under Vanderwoude’s stewardship. “Stone turned out to be one of the sweetest dogs I fostered,” she said. “He loved giving people hugs, kisses, and would lean against them for pets. He was friendly towards everyone he met.”
In a video posted to Vanderwoude’s TikTok @rightway.rover, which has amassed more than 6,000 views since being posted earlier in May, she recalled how, after 5 years and 8 months in the shelter, Stone had been considered “unadoptable.” But in the end, that didn’t prove to be the case.
“It was an older gentleman that contacted Satchel’s inquiring about Stone,” Vanderwoude said. “He was just looking around at dogs at the time, but when he met Stone, he decided to go through with the application. He liked Stone’s mellow nature as he works at home and travels.”
Stone has settled well into his new life. “I got a few updates since then and his new owner says that Stone is the most well behaved dog he’s ever owned,” Vanderwoude said.
She ultimately hopes Stone’s transformation will show others the value of giving dogs like him a “second chance.” Vanderwoude said: “Even severe behavioral problems can be trained with enough consistency and dedication. Stone is a perfect example of that.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
