I have a new “puppy”! Actually, Declan is about a year old and has had a tough life. Declan is Labrador and most likely Hound mix. He was found in North Carolina by some good souls who picked him up from wandering the streets and brought him to live in Syracuse NY. Unfortunately, when they found they could not afford to pay for his medical bills, he was surrendered to a local animal hospital. At the hospital they treated him for his Heartworm and hookworms and attempted to adopt him out. I am not sure why the adoption fell through, but after about 6 weeks in the Hospital, Declan (AKA Ashton) ended up at Helping Hounds where I volunteer.
As soon as I walked in and saw his sad eyes, I was hooked. I took him for a walk and at first he walked like a dream. We sat for a few minutes and he gave me a few licks, then the behaviors of a recently castrated male reared their ugly head. Despite this, another volunteer and I worked and played with him to work on his focus and avoidance of his other negative behaviors. I could see in his eyes, that once he was trained, he would live up to the name Declan- which means full of goodness.
