Huey is a budding senior Shi Tzu mix who came to the rescue after one of our veterinary partners contacted us for help. Huey’s owners had asked them to euthanize him, and they felt it was an extreme measure. We believe Huey was mistreated in his former life and had some behavioral/trust issues and an ongoing ear infection that needed to be addressed. We felt he deserved a chance to rehabilitate and live his golden years in a loving home. Once he was in our care, we were consistent with his meds and vet follow-ups and changed his diet to help with his allergies…It’s worked well. He still has occasional ear flare ups, and will need periodic cleanings from the vet., but he’s definitely feeling better and has a bounce in his step now.  In his prior life, Huey was mistreated and would snarl to avoid being handled or get his desired outcome of being left alone. His instinct was to avoid human touch and affection.... We knew Huey was trapped in this pattern and enlisted the help of Daniel with Lakeside Dog Trainer to work with Huey and help him learn to trust and establish new behaviors. TRAINER UPDATE - 11/15/22 “When Huey started his training back in August, he showed his defensive side towards us. He avoided eye contact and had NO interest in engaging. We worked with him on verbal cues and making eye contact. After a few days, he started to relax and realized he liked having someone else in charge. He started to seek out attention. We’ve been doing structured training with commands to build his trust, and working on basic obedience too. Huey is crate trained, housetrained, has learned to sit and wait for food, and has solid leash skills. He loves to go for walks and LOVES car rides, and does great meeting other dogs and people on leash.  Even after a hard life, Huey has proven he can be part of a pack. He’s still learning to trust his handlers, and enjoys receiving pets and affection on his terms. Picking him up is still not advisable, but we have not pushed that yet. Huey would be great as an only-dog, or with another calm, confident dog and he’s been fostered with cats. We have continuously exposed him to other dogs for short, safe, and positive meetings and he’s learned that humans will advocate for him and has really improved his doggie social skills. He needs a calm home — no kids or loud city noises. Structure will be key to Huey’s success. UPDATE - 2/25/23 Huey transitioned into a foster home in December, living with a retired foster mom who was a special ed teacher, a patient foster dad, and their three other dogs. He had some early hurdles, but his fosters powered through and he’s settled into a groove. We’ve confirmed that he absolutely needs structure and boundaries when he goes to a new home. If you give him too much freedom at once, he will make bad decisions, and really needs an owner who is a leader first, who also listens to his queues.  After two months in his foster home, Huey still has the potential to nip, but his foster family has mostly been able to successfully navigate around it as he typically gives warning...but not every time. He’s not going to be a cuddly lap dog, but he does make a good companion, and wants to be near you. He will follow his foster mom around the house, would love to accompany you on walks or running errands and will alert you to danger.  Huey is a complex pup. He can be a charmer wanting your affection and then get spooked and suddenly growl.  When he wants physical contact with you, he will put his front paws on your knees. If you reach out to touch him and he ducks his head or shows hesitation/resistance, it's best not to push affection. He is fearful of someone trying to pick him up especially when leaning over him. His foster parents give him affection when he requests it, but do not initiate petting. After two months, he’s now choosing to lay next to his foster mom on the couch, vs. the other end…baby steps! PACK: Huey has been living with three dogs and shows no reactivity to the pack when outside, eating, or taking treats. He initiates play with the two smaller dogs who are about his size. He can be reactive/growly (never bites or engages) with the larger dog in his foster home.  He is fine with her at mealtimes and outside, but will react to her inside the home if she gets too close to him when he’s on the couch or bed. One approach is to keep Huey off beds/couches and his trainers did restrict his access, but his foster family is allowing it. They manage their engagement and use a water squirt bottle to stop unwanted behavior…it works pretty well. CRATE: The crate was an importat tool to settle Huey in and they keep it always open and available to him. He no longer sleeps in it overnight. He sleeps on a doggie bed on the floor next to his foster parents bed and has never guarded his doggie bed, or the chairs he is permitted to sit on…so we are seeing progress. The dogs all switch places throughout the day with no problems. MEETING NEW PEOPLE: Surprisingly, Huey is great at meeting new people. The foster family’s 12-year-old granddaughter and son-in law came to visit and Huey was very excited. He jumped up against their legs and invited them to pet him. No snapping or growling…he often acts like this when meeting someone knew…it is perplexing.  FOOD/TREATS:  He shows no signs of food aggression. He eats in the same room with the pack. They are separated around the room, but he does not push and will wait for his turn. He also sits with the pack and waits for his treat, which he takes gently. PETTING:  His foster mom never reaches to touch him without giving him the option to tell me he doesn’t want it by lowering his head or turning away. ( if pressed he will snap or growl)  If you are sitting and he comes over to you, he will lean in to get scratched or petted. He loves to have his ears rubbed, but you should never bend over to pet him, especially if he is laying down. He needs to be the initiator of contact. HOUSE MANNERS: He learned how to use the doggie doors to go out within the first hour he was here. He goes in and out as needed. LOUD NOISES: He fears fireworks and storms. He chose to sit with his foster mom on New Year’s Eve. He was shaking and for the first time wanted to be held. Huey continues to make progress, but does have quirks and needs a special adopter who is ready to work with a more complicated pup. He needs someone who understand his fear issues and allows him to be himself and accepts his love of all things paper.  He is not a cuddly lap dog,  but enjoys being near you. We are looking for an adopter with some leadership skills and patience to settle him in. Huey’s trainer will stay involved during his transition to his new home and be a resource for support as he settles in. Apply today to learn more. BREED ESTIMATE: Shi Tzu or Shih-Poo GENDER: Male APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: ~ 19 lbs  APPROXIMATE AGE: ~  9.5 -10 years old COAT TYPE:  Long/Low shed - Requires regularly grooming ADOPTION FEE: $400 OTHER INFO: utd on shots/neutered/microchipped LOCATION: Charlotte, NC   FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to https://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application. You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application. Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.