Operation Freedom Rusty

When Justin and I went to check on his rental property unit on Friday, we were thrilled to see how wonderful the new paint and appliances looked.

But we had a feeling the dog hanging out in the fenced backyard wouldn't be welcomed by the incoming tenants.

The story from the neighbors is that the dog was been spending most of his time in the yard. The dog, a terrier mix, was underweight with a
dull and scraggly coat, and was flea-bitten behind the ears. There was no evidence the dog had any shelter or shade, nor any apparent water or food. While he had a frayed collar, he had no tags and was not neutered. He also was a perfect candidate to become a "bait dog" in a
dog fight.

But he came running over to me and was super friendly. Justin and I left, discussed what to do, and made a trip to PetSmart. Then we went back late Friday night and invited the dog to come home with us. He accepted.

Thus began Operation Freedom Rusty. Timonium Animal Hospital veterinarian Dr. Shelly Howard was fantastic, and told us he is an 8-month-old terrier mix that is about five pounds underweight. They gave him his shots and flea medication.

While Rusty has spent time with people and is adequately socialized, he has had no obedience training. He has no concept of how to walk on a leash, although he has quickly picked up the concept of relieving outside and sitting on command.

We have made progress on his skittishness. When he first arrived at our house, he was submissive and scared. But over the weekend, he has developed an attachment to Justin, and, to a lesser extent, me.

Rusty is also incredibly laid-back. Unlike our previous puppy, who had no concept of chilling out outside his crate, Rusty will sleep at our feet. But given his rough first months of life, he hates to be left alone. We are feeding him in the crate so that he hopefully adjusts to being in the crate when we are at work.

Rusty and Simon, our orange tabby, have been making overtures toward each other. Unfortunately for Rusty, outdoor cat Minou hates him. The first night, Minou tried to repeatedly attack him. Since then, Minou has retreated to the front porch, so we are taking Rusty out via the
back porch. I've been letting Minou and Rusty smell each other, and I am hoping that Minou will relax his status as "guard cat" so that Rusty can go in and out the front door.

Rusty is going to Doc-Side Veterinary Hospital tomorrow to be neutered. He is going to be available for adoption in the near future – probably about a month. Let me know if you are interested in meeting him and check back here for regular updates.