Stressed puppy unable to adapt to shelter life with no one to help him slated to die today

At the New York City Animal Care Center in Manhattan, a 12-month-old puppy is scheduled to be euthanized on Thursday. Sadly, Rudy, a beautiful German shepherd is not doing well adjusting to shelter life, and needs a home to feel safe again.

Rudy’s advocate wrote:

“They have a strong sense of belonging and when taken from their home, they grieve and show this sadness in different ways. Many will bark, cry, scream, pace and show stress or depression. In a nut shell, they do not do well in a stressful shelter environment. It’s so sad to see this big beautiful boy lean against a wall as he passes other cages and scared to go down stairs. In the beginning Rudy would come out of cage easily, but now he’s had enough of shelter life and needs a home to feel safe again. He certainly doesn’t deserve a needle at only 12 months old!”

There is no history about Rudy since he was found as a stray, although he has been moderately social with handlers at the care center. He tends  to pull on his leash but knows the “sit” command. He has displayed anxiety and has been known to lunge and growl towards other dogs. It has also been noted, Rudy isn’t comfortable with both his legs and paws being handled.

“It’s too bad that he ended up in the hands of an inexperienced family that would have been more suited to a couch potato dog than a beautiful shepherd puppy. Now Rudy is starting to have a rough time at the shelter, having frequent meltdowns when returning to his small kennel. He doesn’t want to be in that small windowless space. He wants to be out running, playing ball, enjoying the sun on his back. That’s what it is to be a puppy. All he needed was structure, training, stuff his parent was unwilling to give him. There’s nothing wrong with Rudy, but there seriously is something wrong with people who pick a dog based on looks rather than their lifestyle and experience.”

Rudy’s anxiety has increased since coming into the shelter on May 1, 2020. The shelter is asking for help for Rudy.

“While in our care, Rudy has been increasingly uncomfortable returning to his kennel to the point of thrashing and snapping. The use of treats and toys has not been successful in luring him back to his kennel. At this time, it is important for Rudy to leave the care center into an experienced home to avoid causing him further stress in leaving or returning to his kennel. Rudy should be in an adult-only home as the only resident dog.”

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