Will Lucky be the Lucky One?

Life Before MCAC

Lucky had lived in a couple homes before the one he was surrendered from, without issues. He was a "man's dog", living with a single individual; sidekick, best friend, sole pet in the home. His owner moved into a new home, with other dogs, a cat and children. This is said to be when his "problems" started. The family noticed someone was urinating in the home now. Assuming it was Lucky, they took him to the shelter during the first weeks of 2022. After speaking with staff, getting some in-home pointers and routes to seek for rescue, they took him back home.

Owner Surrender

Lucky's owners brought him back to MCAC March 18, 2022 stating they could no longer keep him around, and were unable to find someone to take him, rescue or friend. They had no other choice but to rehome him. They stated to have already rehomed the more recent additions to the household in hopes he would quit "marking", but it did not work. Lucky was already neutered, but not current on vaccines, so he was vaccinated, checked for heartworms, microchipped and placed on the adoption floor.

Months Unnoticed

Lucky would go days, if not weeks on the adoption floor without visitors. All people would see is "another brown pit" and not even ask about him. No one wanted to meet the barking boy who just wants a companion. Staff put a note on his kennel, hoping it would help get him an additional visitor or two: "I am a great pup! I get very excited to see people. Ask staff to visit with me outside of my kennel and see what a wonderful dog I am!" This helped get him one or two more visitors, curious about his springiness in the kennel mostly. He had many great visitors where he showed the best parts of himself, but he still was never the one chosen.

Home for the Holidays - Christmas in July

Summer and winter hold one of the most awaited for adoption specials at MCAC, Home for the Holidays, the foster to adopt program. Adopters can start out fostering an animal on the adoption floor to see if they are a good fit for the household. Staff were hopeful someone, anyone, would give this amazing boy a chance.

MCAC has many wonderful volunteers who get attached to animals on the adoption floor, just like staff. They also are great at spreading the word and sharing these pets with their friends in hopes to get them adopted. One friend of a volunteer came in to visit in June. They came in specifically to visit with Lucky! Lucky did an amazing job winning over all human members of the household, but what about the canine member? Well, he did great there too.

Lucky was brought home June 29, 2022, 104 days after coming to the shelter. When I say everyone was ecstatic, I mean that in all caps, shouting it from the rooftops. They were sent with many resources and reminders, as well as tons of helpful tips from the volunteers on how to make it work in the household.

An End to Foster

On July 13, 2022 Lucky's foster family came in. Our hearts immediately sank, thinking the worst, that Lucky was coming back. They flashed big smiles and announced proudly that he was working out wonderfully in the home, a couple kinks here and there, but easily worked through. They were ADOPTING!!! We could have thrown a parade.

No Dry Eye in the House

Staff often reminisce about past pets from the adoption floor, and Lucky was one frequently mentioned, holding a special place in our hearts. Well, we must have spoke about him too much because December 2, 2022, 142 days in his official, adoptive home, he was back. His adopter stated they tried and tried, but could no longer make it work. Lucky's previous home never mentioned he was a resource guarder, which proved to be quite the problem in his new home. His family was sad, staff felt defeated, but Lucky didn't seem to have a care in the world, something that works out for the best for most shelter pets.

Resource Guarding in the Home

While Lucky has not shown any of these signs in the shelter, he is said to be a resource guarder. What does this mean? It means Lucky wants his things to be his, and probably wants the other pet's things to be his as well. Being fed meals together is a BIG no-no when it comes to pets who resource guard, but it isn't the only. Pets can guard their food, treats, bones, toys, beds, even their humans. Thankfully, Lucky's was not the worst the shelter has seen. He is protective of his food and treats and went after the other dog on occasion "protecting" his food. This is actually something very common with shelter pets, as many never knew when or if they had another meal coming. Lucky only exhibited this behavior around another dog, never a human, which is a great sign. Animals who resource guard can live together with someone savvy and experienced in the problem. Homes can, what we call, crate and rotate - put the guarder in a kennel while the other is out enjoying whatever is it, then switch places. They can also kennel just for meals, treats and time with toys. Some folks will separate into two different rooms even. It depends on what works best for your situation, but ALWAYS as for advice from your trainer, don't try and take this on alone. We don't want any accidents.

104 Days Later

...and Lucky hasn't been so lucky. He's had a visitor here and there, but no one that has been too serious about taking him home. After 208 total days on the adoption floor, and a nice break in between stints, this Saturday marks ONE YEAR since Lucky first came to MCAC. Our hearts are breaking for him.

What makes Lucky so Special?

Lucky is a 6 year old who plays like a 1 year old and snuggles like a newborn. He only weighs 43 pounds, so he falls under most apartment or landlord restrictions, and is light enough to lay on your lap for love. His first family wasn't able to tell us what breed he was aside from a mix, so our best assessment is a Lab mix, but he often gets comments about being a pittie or even a Shiba Inu mix. Lucky may not have the best kennel presence, doing his best to vault over the top to be by your side, but that's just it, he wants to be near you. When he sees someone outside his kennel he gets excited and his excitement comes out in the form of leg muscle. He walks well on a leash, knows basic commands and (outside the kennel) is very well mannered. He doesn't even mind being dressed up, as long as he's still handsome. He keeps his kennel super clean and hasn't given staff any signs he will "mark his territory" or have any inappropriate urination in his home.

Lucky enjoys playtime outside, will play fetch, and really loves throwing around a Jolly Ball. He will play tug-o-war, run up the jungle gym, and stay by your side during walks. He went for a car ride with staff and was a very well behaved boy, watching out the window, soaking up the sunshine. After a long day of play, lots of treats but sadly no visitors, Lucky will snuggle up next to us on the sofa, rest his little chin on your leg and sigh. He knows he's a good boy, he knows he deserves a good home, he just doesn't know why he hasn't gotten one yet.

What Does Lucky Need for His Forever?

Aside from someone with a big heart and willingness to look past his exuberance in the kennel, Lucky needs someone with experience. Or a home with no other animals. Despite having lived with cats in his previous home, and his owner saying he did fine with them, we got an anonymous message stating he, in face, does not do well with cats, and sadly took the life of one. Cats are off the table. As far as dogs go, if his adopter is wanting to take him into a home that already has a dog in it, they will need to be very dog savvy, have experience with resource guarding and be willing to take him for training to break the bad habits. Lucky would thrive in an active household that is full of adventures. Road trip - he's in! Jogging - love it! Hiking - in nature? YES PLEASE! Giving a dog multiple ways to exert their energy throughout the day is a great was to ensure you have a well behaved dog in the home.

What Can You Do?

If you are interested in adopting Lucky, or even just visiting to see if you click, you can fill out your application using the link below. Lucky is even one of the dogs on the adoption floor who would qualify for an out of season foster. Foster homes have to reside in Macon County, and you'll be given a predetermined amount of days to test the waters and see if your home is the perfect one for him. The easiest way we can help this poor soul is to share his story. Share his posts, his pictures, anything you can, to help get him seen. For harder cases like his we often have to reach outside of Macon County. Reach as far as you can!