One-year-old Belgian Malinois, Juanito, was surrendered to Orange County Animal Care late last week because his owners stated he had been playing too rough with the child in the home and had grabbed the youngster’s shirt. The child is fine; his skin was not broken.
Juanito previously lived in harmony with his owners, two children, grandparents, a Malinois sister and a kitten. He loved to play and loved car rides. His family said he walked fine on a leash, was housetrained and had zero aggression towards people nor animals but could be jumpy and mouthy. Afterall, he is only a year old and still needs behavioral training. And because his owners didn’t take the time to train Juanito to become a perfect canine citizen, they walk away, and the dog, through no fault of his own, is scheduled to die.
Since arriving at the shelter, he has been barking and snapping because he has no idea what is going on and why he is in a cage behind steel bars and not home. There is little doubt that he has been acting out in fear and missing the only family he has ever known.
Juanito weighs 70 pounds and is unaltered. He had been scheduled to be humanely euthanized on May 20. His “rescue only” status left would be adopters ineligible.
Unfortunately, the shelter had been able to help.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CONTINUE READING ALL THE WAY TO THE END.
Shelter Notes:
05/06/26: Tense body language – displaying offensive body language in transit kennel with tail, hackles, eye contact (unblinking and tracking) – tense muzzle with teeth exposed.
05/8/2026: Tense body language – does not want to be approached or be engaged with. Go slow. Dilated eyes, frozen in kennel, unblinking eye contact, tense posture, tail erect. Would not loosen body language for leash or dropped treats during initial approach. Eventually came to the bars, took a treat, jumped back and returned to previous body posture. Would not engage for a second treat. Tense and standing tall.
05/09/2026: Behavior unchanged
Behavior unchanged. Unaccepting of handling. Body language on display is tense and forward with a sensitive trigger and big reaction. Place with rescue. Showing to the public at this time would be a safety risk
Video #1: (in his kennel)
https://drive.google.com/…/16t7J1OpyPsoxxAsi…/view…
Video #2: ( dog outside his kennel)
https://drive.google.com/…/1UjiGaGmv8bHNEDYZ7hU…/view…
Identification number-A1959874
Kennel 106
Orange County Animal Care
1630 Victory Road Tustin California 92782
714-935-6848
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Renegade Rex K9 Ranch has stepped forward to rescue Juanito from the shelter and to bring him into their program. Saving a high-drive working breed from across the country takes help, and donations are needed to help.
Your support right now covers:
• Emergency Transport & Pull Fees: Getting Juanito out of the shelter and on his way to safety immediately.
• Medical & Intake Care: Initial veterinary evaluations, vaccines, and immediate health needs.
• The Barn Project: Any surplus funds are strictly allocated to our ongoing blue steel barn construction, ensuring we have the secure, professional-grade kennel housing these high-drive dogs need to thrive and decompress.
No administration fees. No overhead. Just saving lives. —
How to Donate:
• https://www.renegaderexk9ranch.com/donate
• Zelle: [email protected]
• PayPal: [email protected]
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Clumsy
