Indy (bite history)

Indy is almost 7yrs old and was saved from the San Jose shelter in May 2017, at the age of 2yrs old. He was “rescue only” due to biting the adult in the household. He chased the small child in the home and when his owner intervened and scolded him, Indy bit the owner’s legs, causing multiple punctures. According to shelter notes, Indy was originally surrendered to the shelter in March 2016 for food aggression. His family took him back and attempted to reheome him to a young couple. Unfortunately he bit the couple due to food aggression and was returned to his owners, then the incident with chasing the child and biting the owner’s legs occurred, landing him back in the shelter. While in the shelter, he challenged dogs he passed on leash and on one occasion attempted to bite the animal control officer through the kennel when he was being taken out for a greeting. Indy was picked up by a volunteer in San Jose and transported to QBSDR in Southern California. The volunteer transporter reported a near bite incident with Indy, also over food during feeding time.  Fortunately, no injuries were sustained due to the quick actions of the transporter. When Indy arrived in SoCal, he was friendly when meeting the QBSDR pack, but would launch himself onto any dog that dared to walk through the doorway before him.  He had an intensity to his presence, almost domineering, and would lose his mind when guarding food. He was immediately muzzle conditioned for safety in order to address his issues. When guarding food, he would lunge, wrap his arms around your leg, and attempt to bite. He was another very sensitive dog that would get tense and unsure when someone hovered over him, and occasionally guarded his crate by lunging forward. When it came to him challenging dogs in doorways, he was kept on leash while dogs walked past him and corrected each time he lunged at them. This scenario was repeatedly set up until he realized going after other dogs was not allowed. To work on his food aggression, he was hand fed kibble through a basket muzzle so he understood the human was in control of the food, and was only fed when he was calm and polite about waiting. Each time he growled, eyeballed, or made an attempt to guard the food, he was corrected and his wait time extended until he returned to a calm and polite state, earning him food. Nothing in life was free, especially food and he had to work for it. As a relationship was established with Indy and he developed trust and respect, he began showing a happy-go-lucky, playful, sensitive side of himself. He would roll over, exposing his belly, roll around in fresh grass doing back wiggles, and brought over toys, asking to play fetch. He’s another volunteer favorite at the ranch, even after some sketchy moments with a couple of StumpySquad members. He’s a pro at giving kisses, loves a good head rub, and another low-rider afflicted with OBD (obsessive ball disorder). While we had originally hoped he’d be able to be adopted out to the right home that was willing to work with him, his status was changed to sanctuary dog after those moments with the volunteers. While he may occasionally have his moments (like we all do), he’s a very loved boy that is so loyal to those he’s bonded with. He will always have a home as a permanent member of the sanctuary pack, and we look forward to spending his golden years with him.